Department of Health and Social Care

Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timetable for negotiations on the new pharmaceutical price regulation scheme is; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Informal discussions have already begun with industry regarding future medicines pricing arrangements. Formal negotiations will begin shortly.

HIV Infection

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of patients living with HIV who (a) were offered and (b) received an annual health assessment for cardiovascular disease, renal impairment, diabetes and bone health in each NHS England region in the last year for which figures are available; and what plans he has to ensure that all people living with HIV (i) are offered and (ii) attend an annual health assessment to manage co-morbidities.

Steve Brine: Information on the number of patients living with HIV who were offered and received an annual health assessment for cardiovascular disease, renal impairment, diabetes and bone health in each NHS England region is not collected centrally. An ongoing assessment for cardiovascular disease, renal impairment, diabetes and bone health is part of the core clinical and therapeutic management of patients with HIV. NHS England has published a service specification for HIV services which defines the standards of care expected from organisations funded by NHS England to provide specialised care. The service specification refers to the British HIV Association routine investigation and monitoring guidelines, which set the clinical standard for clinical assessments and tests. These guidelines include annual monitoring for co-morbidities and are subject to local and national clinical audit. A copy of the service specification can be viewed on NHS England’s website at: https://www.england.nhs.uk/commissioning/spec-services/npc-crg/blood-and-infection-group-f/f03/

Hyperactivity: Children

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people aged under 18 are awaiting assessment for attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder in (a) Kent, (b) West Yorkshire and (c) Greater Manchester.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people aged under 18 who are awaiting assessment for attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder by clinical commissioning group level.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people aged over 18 who are awaiting assessment for attention deficit or hyperactivity disorder by clinical commissioning group level.

Caroline Dinenage: This information is not collected centrally. Whilst the Mental Health Services Data Set (MHSDS) collects information on waiting times from referral to treatment, MHSDS cannot separately identify those people referred into services for an assessment for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

General Practitioners

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his policy is on encouraging people in the health sector to enter general practice.

Steve Brine: In 2017 we recruited 3,157 doctors into speciality general practitioner (GP) training places; this was the highest number of GP trainees ever. Health Education England is making 3,250 places available per year. There are a number of schemes in place to encourage doctors to enter GP speciality training. This includes the “One career endless opportunities. Choose GP” advertising campaign; the Targeted Enhanced Recruitment Scheme which offers a £20,000 bursary to GP trainees committed to spend their three year training programme in “hard to recruit” areas; the Global Health Fellowship which offers overseas placements for GP trainees and the National Institute for Health Research Academic Clinical Fellowship Programme which incorporates academic training into GP speciality training.

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, by what criteria his Department measures the value for money of applications for funding for research into Complex Regional Pain Syndrome.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), which is funded by the Department, supports health and care research and translates discoveries into practical products, treatments, devices and procedures. The NIHR welcomes research funding applications into any aspect of human health, including complex regional pain syndrome. The NIHR is committed to maximising the potential impact of research that it funds for patients and the public. Applications to NIHR for research funding are subject to scientific peer review, with awards being made on the basis of value for money, scientific quality and the importance of the topic to patients and health and care services. Regarding value for money, the costs outlined in an NIHR funding application will be assessed in order to determine whether: - The proposed costs of the research are reasonable and commensurate with the proposed work involved; and- The costs to health and care services in supporting the research are reasonable in relation to the likely benefits of the research to decision-makers, patients and the public. Ensuring that NIHR funded research is published in full is also a vital step in maximising the return on research investment.

Nurses: Training

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to measure the effect of the removal of the NHS bursary on application rates to undergraduate nursing courses.

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the criteria his Department uses to assess the effect of the Government's reforms to nursing education.

Stephen Barclay: The Department is working with relevant bodies across health and education to monitor the effects of the healthcare funding reforms and, as part of this, plans to publish an update later this year. This will include information on the approach for assessing the impact.

Motor Neurone Disease

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to his Oral Answer of 20 March 2018, Official Report, column 156, on motor neurone disease, which projects received that £52 million investment; and which 24 clinical trials are being recruited to.

Caroline Dinenage: In 2016-17, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) invested £52.2 million into health research covered by the ‘Neurological conditions’ category of the UK Health Research Classification System. This £52.2 million was used to fund and support a range of research studies and research infrastructure for neurological conditions and within that, £4.58 million was spent specifically on Motor Neurone Disease (MND) and closely-related conditions. The NIHR provides the support, expertise and facilities that the NHS needs to undertake world-leading research funded by the NIHR, and other public, charity and life sciences industry partners, by funding a range of infrastructure facilities. The NIHR Clinical Research Network is currently supporting 19 non-commercial studies and clinical trials on MND and closely-related conditions which are open and recruiting participants. The non-commercial studies are listed in the table below. There are currently two commercial studies which are also recruiting participants. In 2016-17, the NIHR Research Infrastructure supported 23 studies and trials on MND and closely-related conditions in the NIHR Biomedical Research Centres, Units and other research infrastructure. The majority of these studies have been funded by research charities including the Motor Neurone Disease Association, other research funders and the life sciences industry. NIHR Clinical Research Network supported Non-Commercial studies on MND and closely-related conditions which are open and recruiting participantsCPMS Study IDStudy Short Name12497Trajectories of Outcome in Neurological Conditions Phase 3 Consent and questionnaire12495Trajectories of Outcome in Neurological Conditions Phase 2 Demographics and Clinical Info12768Motor System Genomics, version 1.06160ALS Biomarkers Study35238Tonic 2 Phase 420690MND Register for England, Wales and Northern Ireland12118Trajectories of Outcome in Neurological Conditions Phase 113182CSF collection in patients with neurodegenerative diseases16242BioMOx Phase 2: The Oxford Study for Biomarkers in Motor Neuron Disease31877A Multicentre Biomarker Study in Neurodegeneration20372Contributing clinical MRI scans to multi-centre collaboration19128Tongue EIM17831Using MRI to investigate energy metabolism in MND34909Improving support for family and friends caring for people with MND35042Serial fasciculation measurements in motor neurone disease17557Care Augmentation by Location-linked messaging CALL-Me32678MIROCALS_H2020/PHRC-N/2014/GB-01_ID-IL-2_Neuro-Inflammation in ALS Pts36434Change in MND37175ProSec 3

Carers

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether his Department plans to support a national roll-out of carer passport schemes.

Caroline Dinenage: In 2017, the Department commissioned a National Carers Passport Toolkit Project with Carers UK in partnership with Carers Trust. The aim of the project was to look at generating more widespread adoption of the Carer Passport, a resource to assist local organisations and services in developing their own schemes to increase recognition of carers and help them access services and support, whilst at the same time also increasing the number of carers’ passport schemes in operation across England. The project completed its work at the end of March. The Toolkit and supporting materials can be accessed via the following link: https://carerspassports.uk/ The final phase of the project is delivery of the work, dissemination and its evaluation, which is currently ongoing. On completion of the evaluation, next steps will be considered to support further promotion of the toolkit.

Alfie Evans

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the standard of care at Alder Hey Children's Hospital in respect of Alfie Evans.

Caroline Dinenage: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) rated Alder Hey Children’s Hospital as good overall following an inspection in June 2015. A responsive inspection was carried out in April and May 2017 but this did not alter the hospital’s current overall rating. The CQC regulates and assesses all providers of regulated activities by looking at five domains – whether they are safe, effective, caring, responsive to people’s needs and well-led. Alder Hey Children’s Hospital was rated as good under the safe, effective, responsive and well led domains and outstanding for caring. It is not appropriate for the Department to comment on the specific circumstances relating to individual cases.

NHS: Fraud

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cases against (a) doctors, (b) nurses, (c) other medical professionals, (d) directors of NHS trusts and (e) other NHS staff relating to (i) fraud, (ii) violence, (iii) bribery, (iv) corruption, (v) criminal damage, (vi) theft, (vii) market-fixing and (viii) other unlawful action were being investigated in NHS Protect before it was superseded by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority in November 2017; how many such cases have been taken over by the NHS Counter Fraud Authority; and how many such cases are still current.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many investigations into NHS Trust directors the NHS Counter Fraud Authority has started (a) nationally and (b) in Yorkshire since it was established; and how many such investigations are still current.

Caroline Dinenage: The NHS Counter Fraud Authority (NHSCFA) was established on 1 November 2017 and is a new special health authority with a remit to identify, investigate and prevent fraud, bribery and corruption across the National Health Service. Information on the cases under investigation by category for NHS Protect and the NHSCFA is in the attached tables. Of the 44 cases taken over by NHSCFA from NHS Protect, 40 are still current. Regarding the number of investigations into NHS trust directors, I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 April 2018 to Question 135151.



PQ135522,135523 attached tables
(Word Document, 31.92 KB)

Department of Health and Social Care: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Caroline Dinenage: All roles advertised in 2016 and 2017 in the Department excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Department of Health and Social Care: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Caroline Dinenage: In February 2016, the Civil Service adopted the ‘Ban the Box’ policy as a default position, when advertising job vacancies. Cabinet Office guidance was issued to departmental recruitment and HR teams to support the implementation of this policy. Civil Service Jobs does not ask candidates about their criminal convictions at the application stage so the Department was already compliant with the Ban the Box initiative.

Department of Health and Social Care: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

Caroline Dinenage: All directly employed members of staff and agency staff at the Department sourced via the Crown Commercial Services Framework Contingent Labour One are paid at or above the living wage. The Department does not routinely collect information on the salaries of agency staff sourced outside the CL1 Framework or of outsourced employees. Public Health England does not have employees, agency or outsourced people paid less than the living wage. No civil servants employed by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) are paid less than the Living Wage. The MHRA does not routinely collect information on the salaries of employees working for its contracted companies or out-sourced service providers.

Rare Diseases

Jeremy Lefroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the Government plans to continue to participate in the European Reference Networks for patients with complex or rare medical conditions after the UK leaves the EU and the expiry of the implementation period.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has noted the importance of continued collaboration with European partners in the 2017 policy paper ‘Collaboration on Science and Innovation: A Future Partnership Paper’. European Reference Networks (ERNs) for rare diseases patients were cited in the paper as an example of collaboration that the United Kingdom and European Union should discuss in the negotiations, given the mutual benefit. The Government has set out three key principles in developing a new regulatory system post EU exit: patients should not be disadvantaged; innovators should be able to get their products into the UK market as quickly and simply as possible; and we continue to play a leading role promoting public health. The Government will be guided by these principles in its negotiations with EU partners.

Continuing Care

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether there is a formal process in place for patients who receive Continuing Health Care funding to challenge a decision of Decision Support Tools that move them from funded health care into social care.

Caroline Dinenage: The National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and National Health Service-funded nursing care sets out the process to be followed if an individual wishes to challenge an NHS Continuing Healthcare eligibility decision following the completion of a Decision Support Tool or Fast Track Pathway Tool. There are two stages involved in the challenge to eligibility decisions, firstly a local review process at the clinical commissioning group level, and secondly a request to NHS England, which may then refer the matter to an independent review panel. When a case is referred to NHS England’s independent review panel, it will consider the case and make recommendations to the relevant clinical commissioning group. The role of the panel is advisory, but its recommendations should be accepted by clinical commissioning groups in all but exceptional circumstances. If the original eligibility decision is upheld and an individual is still unhappy with the decision, they can contact the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman.

Parental Responsibility

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the efficacy of capacity assessments for people with learning disabilities to look after a child.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the criteria are for capacity tests used for a person's suitability to look after a child; and what guidance his Department has issued on the use of that criteria.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department is not responsible for capacity tests used to determine a person’s suitability to look after a child.

NHS: Staff

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of people who work in the NHS who were born in Commonwealth countries and arrived in the UK before 1971.

Stephen Barclay: The Department does not hold the information centrally.

Health Professions: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many vacant positions there are for (a) nurses and (b) doctors in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands.

Stephen Barclay: The data is not available in the format requested.

NHS: Foreign Nationals

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people were billed by the NHS each year on the grounds of non-UK citizenship in each year since 2010.

Stephen Barclay: This information is not held centrally. Entitlement to free National Health Service care is based on a person being ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom, not citizenship, nationality or the payment of UK taxes or national insurance contributions.

Nurses: Pay

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the pay offer to NHS nurses includes public health nurses employed by local authorities.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the (a) pay and (b) terms and conditions of public health nurses employed by local authorities will remain comparable to nurses working directly for the NHS.

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether public health nurses employed directly by local authorities will be included in the local government pay award; and whether those nurses will receive pay rises comparable to nurses in the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: The pay of public health nurses, who have a contract of employment with a local authority, is determined by the local authority. It is for local authorities to determine the terms and conditions, including pay that will best enable them to recruit, retain and motivate the staff they need. The Chancellor was explicit that additional funding, above that already factored into the 2015 Spending Round, was tied to major structural reforms to Agenda for Change to help improve recruitment, retention, increase capacity and improve productivity.

Lyme Disease

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to encourage NHS England to develop specialist services for Lyme disease patients.

Steve Brine: Lyme disease is a bacterial infection and most people recover completely with prompt antibiotic treatment that reduces the risk of further symptoms developing and increases the chance of complete recovery. NHS England specialised services are not the responsible commissioner for treatment of Lyme disease: Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated in primary care or in clinical commissioning groups’ infectious diseases hospital services according to the Prescribed Services Manual. The Department has funded four independent systematic reviews, published at the end of 2017, to further strengthen the evidence base for epidemiology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of Lyme disease. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has recently published its clinical guideline on Lyme disease, which provides the latest information for clinicians in diagnosing and managing Lyme disease. The guideline aims to raise awareness of when Lyme disease should be considered and to ensure that people have prompt and consistent diagnosis and treatment.

Mental Health

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published in February 2016, what progress his Department has made in implementing recommendations 26, 28, and 29.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Ten Year Framework for Mental Health Research was published on the Government website in December in response to Recommendation 26 in the Five Year Forward View and offers a collective view of how mental health research should move forward over the next decade. In response to recommendation 28, NHS England has supported the delivery of six digital mental health projects focussing on improved use of data and system interoperability, information to promote wellbeing, better use of services and self-management, accelerated design and uptake of digital therapies. Seven mental health trusts are now recognised as Global Digital Exemplars, receiving up to £5 million each. They are setting ambitious programmes of work aiming to explore how digital tools and digital solutions to improve efficiency and interoperability, which can be used across a mental health service to deliver better outcomes and more effective working practices. We also launched the NHS Apps library in April 2017, which includes six digital tools focusing on mental health, which have been through the approvals process. NHS Digital are also working to improve the mental health content available at the following link: www.nhs.uk On recommendation 29, the Government’s 2017-2019 Integrationand Better Care Fund Policy Framework and the subsequent Integration and Better Care Fund (BCF) planning requirements for 2017 – 2019 both reference the need to include mental health services when reporting on integrated work funded by the BCF. Social work services are also recognised as key partners in integrated working, with many BCF-funded local multi-disciplinary teams now including social workers, as recently mentioned in the Chief Social Worker’s annual report (2018).

Prime Minister

Jagtar Singh Johal

Jo Swinson: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she plans to discuss the case of Jagtar Singh Johal  during her bilateral meeting with Narendra Modi, at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the hon. Member to the press release issued on 18 April following my meeting with Prime Minister Modi and which is available on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-meeting-with-prime-minister-of-india-18-april-2018

Department for Work and Pensions

Bereavement Support Payment

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the effect of the 18 week limit for bereavement support payments on the time available to families to grieve before returning to work.

Kit Malthouse: Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is paid as an initial larger payment followed by up to 18 smaller monthly instalments. It provides targeted support to help with the immediate costs of bereavement rather than being an income replacement for on-going living expenses. The period of payment is not intended to equate to the period of grief following a bereavement. The Government has made a commitment to review the impacts of BSP once sufficient evidence is available to assess all aspects of the policy.

Housing Benefit

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the level of housing benefit (a) fraud and (b) overpayments in each region of England and Wales in each year since 2015.

Kit Malthouse: The Department of Work and Pensions publishes estimates on the total amount of fraud and error in the benefit system on GOV.UK. These estimates include figures for Housing Benefit, however, these are only available at a national level. Housing Benefit debt recoveries and fraud data is published at a regional level on GOV.UK. This publication provides data on Housing Benefit overpayments outstanding, identified, recovered and written off. From April 2016 the publications no longer include fraud data. Housing Benefit entitlement reduction statistics, available on GOV.UK, were developed as an experimental proxy measure of local authority fraud and error performance.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households remain to be contacted with respect to the change in Support for Mortgage Interest.

Kit Malthouse: Departmental Management Information shows that as at 4 April 2018 all existing SMI claimants have been contacted about SMI loans. All claimants will be given at least 6 weeks from their loan offer date to consider their options and make a decision whether to take the offer of an SMI loan.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many working-age households have been contacted with respect to the change in Support for Mortgage Interest.

Kit Malthouse: At 28 March 2018, around 52,500 working age households currently in receipt of SMI Benefit have been contacted about the introduction of SMI loans.

Pensioners: Support for Mortgage Interest

Sir Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households in receipt of pension credit and support for mortgage interest have applied for the replacement loan when support for mortgage interest ends in April 2018.

Kit Malthouse: At 28 March 2018, around 4630 Pension Credit households have stated their intention to take up the offer of an SMI loan.

Construction: Conditions of Employment

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance her Department provides to the construction industry on the requirement of employee medicals as a pre-requisite for employment in that sector.

Sarah Newton: The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) provides a range of general and construction-specific guidance on work-related health risk assessments, health surveillance, and medical surveillance required under health and safety law. This can be found on HSE’s website http://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/index.htm andhttp://www.hse.gov.uk/construction/healthrisks/index.htm Work in construction can involve exposure to a range of health hazards such as noise, vibration, chemicals and dusts. Employers are legally required to assess these risks to properly manage and control them. Control measures can include a health assessment before work starts to confirm a worker’s fitness for the work and establish a baseline for future health surveillance assessments. Some specific work activities, such as tunnelling in compressed air, require a medical assessment by an HSE Appointed Doctor.

Personal Income

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average net weekly household income was for people in (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (b) London, (c) England, and (d) the UK in each year since 2010.

Kit Malthouse: National statistics on average net weekly household income are set out in the annual "Households Below Average Income" publication. Average incomes are not available at constituency level in this publication because the survey sample sizes are too small to support the production of robust estimates at this geography. However figures at a regional level are available as a three year rolling average. National figures are available for individual years. Figures on average incomes for London and for England can be found in the link below, in table 2.5ts, and sets out median and mean incomes before housing costs (BHC) and after housing costs (AHC). Figures for the UK can be found in table 2.1ts, which shows UK income deciles but also the median and mean incomes, both before and after housing costs.https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/691966/income-values-and-inequality-measures-hbai-1994-95-2016-17-tables.ods

Housing Benefit

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are in receipt of housing benefit in the UK.

Kit Malthouse: Figures on the number of claimants receiving Housing Benefit (HB) in Great Britain are publically available through the DWP Stat-Xplore website:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/jsf/login.xhtml Guidance for users is available at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.htmlInformation for Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities. Northern Ireland statistics can be found at:https://www.communities-ni.gov.uk/topics/benefits-statistics

Access to Work Programme

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Airdrie and Shotts constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK received Access to Work grants (a) in total and (b) for a mental health condition in each of the last three years.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Airdrie and Shotts constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK were referred to the Mental Health Support Service through Access to Work in each of the last three years.

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in (a) Airdrie & Shotts constituency, (b) Scotland and (c) the UK received mental health support through (i) the Mental Health Support Service and (ii) an access to work award in each of the last three years.

Sarah Newton: Breakdowns of the number of people in Great Britain who have had Access to Work provision approved by type of provision by financial year and by recorded primary medical condition by financial year are already published and can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/access-to-work-statistics (tables 2 and 3 respectively).Information on referrals is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. Information on how many people are in receipt of Access to Work grants by constituency or country is not readily available and has not previously been published as official statistics. We will consider whether it is feasible to produce the statistics requested and, if so, will issue them in an official statistics release in accordance with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

Department for Work and Pensions: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of job roles advertised within her Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Kit Malthouse: The application form template used by the Government Recruitment Services (GRS), who manage all recruitment activities on DWPs behalf, does not ask about criminal convictions.This particular question is only raised as part of the pre-employment checking for candidates who have been deemed successful at the last stage of the recruitment process. DWP are fully compliant with the ban the box initiative. Therefore, no advertised jobs were excluded in 2016 or 2017.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for how long households will receive Support for Mortgage Interest as a benefit, if they have not been contacted by the Department about its change in policy by 5 April 2018.

Kit Malthouse: All claimants were contacted about Support for Mortgage Interest loans before 5 April. After this initial contact an information discussion is held following which the offer of an SMI loan will be made. The claimant can continue to receive SMI as a benefit for up to 10 weeks following the date the loan offer is made to give them time to decide whether to accept the offer and for the loan payments to be put in place. Where an existing claimant lacks mental capacity to make decisions about entering into the loan agreement, the regulations enable SMI benefit to continue until an appropriate person is appointed to act on the claimant’s behalf.

Social Security Benefits

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that (a) disentitled and (b) sanctioned claimants of (i) jobseekers allowance and (ii) employment support allowance retain their entitlement to Housing Benefit.

Kit Malthouse: The Department has previously investigated claims that Housing Benefit (HB) has been suspended or terminated as a result of a sanction being applied and has been unable to identify any evidence to support this assertion. No new evidence has been presented to suggest that this is happening. When a sanction is applied entitlement to benefits will continue but benefit will not be payable for a fixed period of time. If a claimant is in receipt of passported HB then payment should continue without interruption. If a claimant is disentitled to JSA or ESA then the local authority will issue an HB claim form to establish entitlement to HB only on low income grounds. The HB claim may be terminated if the claimant fails to respond to this request for information but this termination is not as a result of the sanction being applied. The Department continues to monitor payment of HB through an annual, independent audit of all 380 local authorities. This includes a check that all processes have been followed correctly. No audit has identified any example of claimants having their HB claim suspended inappropriately following a sanction being applied. The Department has committed to investigate any case where we are presented with evidence that HB has been suspended incorrectly following a sanction being applied.

Welfare Assistance Schemes

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of expenditure of local authorities on local welfare assistance schemes.

Kit Malthouse: The reforms to the Social Fund in 2013 have allowed local authorities in England and the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales to deliver their own local provision for people who are in need of urgent help. The Government believe that councils are best placed to decide how to target flexible help to support local welfare needs. The Government has no plans to change these arrangements and we have not placed on them any duties, expectations or monitoring requirements in this area.

Social Security Benefits: Fraud

Lee Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to deter fraudulent applications for state benefits.

Kit Malthouse: DWP is committed to deterring and preventing fraud and error by benefit claimants.The Department administers welfare benefits and pensions to around 18 million people. The latest published estimates showed that in 2016/17, of the £174 billion paid in benefit and pension expenditure 1.2% (or £2 billion) was overpaid due to fraud.The creation of a single, integrated fraud investigation service means we now have one point of investigation for all welfare fraud, including Tax Credits and Housing Benefit. DWP prosecutes people who commit benefit fraud and introduced a range of tough powers to help deter fraud and error arising from negligence, including enhanced Loss of Benefit Penalties.The Universal Credit design pays monthly in arrears and uses Real Time Information to inform payments. This greater sensitivity to income changes is helping reduce incorrect payments. We are increasingly applying this principle to other non Universal Credit claims, which is helping prevent fraud and error entering the system.A key element of Universal Credit is the Analysis and Intelligence Hub, a data discovery capability using new analytical tools that identifies cases for investigation. We are also increasingly looking at 3rd party data to help improve this facility. A two year contract with a 3rd party credit reference agency commenced February 2017 and is generating additional referrals.

Department for Work and Pensions: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, since 2016, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings (a) she and (b her predecessor have had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Kit Malthouse: There have been no meetings between the Minister for the Cabinet Office & Paymaster General and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions since 2016 on using 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Social Security Benefits: Females

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women aged between 60 to 65 are in receipt of employments benefits by type of benefit.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is published for a range of benefits administered by DWP, such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit, and available at the Department’s Stat-Xplore website:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk Guidance for users of Stat-Xplore is available at:https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html Statistics are also available via the Office of National Statistics’ NOMIS website, including for benefits not currently available on Stat-Xplore such as Jobseeker’s Allowance:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users of NOMIS can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.asp

Health and Safety Executive

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) Government funding (b) annual spending and (c) total staff head count was for the Health and Safety Executive in each financial year since 2010.

Sarah Newton: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reports the following figures which have been published in the Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) since 2010/11:  2010/11 £M2011/12 £M2012/13 £M2013/14 £M2014/15 £M2015/16 £M2016/17 £MGovernment Funding203175159154138134133Income124116117125819091Annual Spending327291276279219224224 Ave No.Ave No.Ave No.Ave No.Ave No.Ave No.Ave No.Total Staff Headcount3,7883,5733,4623,3533,0362,7742,748 Notes:Government funding is the Net Operating Cost from HSE’s ARA.Income includes cost recovery and commercial activities.Annual Spending is the Total Operating Cost from HSE ARA.The Office for Nuclear Regulation (ONR) became a statutory corporation outside of HSE from 1 April 2014.

Work Capability Assessment: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases there have been in which people have been declared fit for work and then went on to win their appeal against her Department in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Sarah Newton: The Department publishes quarterly statistics on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA): Outcomes of Work Capability Assessments (WCA) which include figures on mandatory reconsiderations and appeals of WCA decisions. These statistics are not currently available to local authority or regional level but DWP statisticians are investigating how to extend the geography information provided. The statistics can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/employment-and-support-allowance-outcomes-of-work-capability-assessment Table 3 of these statistics covers National figures for appeal outcomes for Fit for Work decisions in initial assessment by month of claim start. Official statistics on all appeals made with respect to ESA claims are published by the Ministry of Justice and can be found at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

Housing Benefit

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether staff at her Department have instructed local authorities to cease paying housing enefit to all residents in receipt of personal independence payments pending a review into all claims for such payments.

Kit Malthouse: I can confirm that no such instructions have been issued.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 28 March 2018 to Question 133509, on Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations, how many assessment reports the Department has deemed unacceptable and returned to (a) Independent Assessment Services and (b) Centre for Health and Disability Assessments for reworking in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many health assessment reports her Department has received from the (a) Independent Assessment Services and (b) Centre for Health and Disability Assessments in each of the last five years.

Sarah Newton: The volume of assessment reports received from the suppliers are outlined below: The contract between DWP and Centre for Health and Disability Assessments (CHDA) commenced on 1 March 2015, therefore figures for CHDA is only held for the last 3 years. Each period listed runs from March to February and figures cover both work capability assessment and other benefit assessments completed by face to face assessment or paper based assessment:  2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18CHDA Assessments CompletedN/AN/A914,9031,069,0281,108,594 For IAS figures are available from May 2013 and are summarised by fiscal year thereafter. Figures include assessments completed by face to face or paper based assessment. --2013/142014/152015/162016/172017/18IAS Assessments Completed62,187363,201537,464787,606765,873

Universal Credit

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will (a) prohibit the removal by departmental officials of documents from a person's universal credit journal and (b) ensure that in cases of official error the journal record is amended through the addition of a revising letter.

Alok Sharma: This function was introduced to allow for simple errors (such as spelling mistakes or messages entered before fully completed) to be rectified. Jobcentre staff can only remove entries they have made and are not able to remove any other entries, such as those entered by another member of staff or claimant. It is important to note that this facility only removes the entry from the journal, with a permanent record being retained and stored on the system which can be retrieved if requested. In situations where a Decision Maker’s decision has been revised, an official letter is uploaded to the claimant’s journal detailing the new decision and when it will take effect.

Home Office

Drugs: Convictions

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what data her Department holds on the number of people aged under 18 years of age convicted for drug related offences outside the local authority area where they live.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. Data on prosecutions are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Drugs: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in Halton constituency were prosecuted for illicit drugs offences in each year since 2010.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office does not hold the information requested. Data on prosecutions are the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.

Crime Prevention: Finance

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to her Department's Serious Violence strategy policy paper published on 9 April 2018, from which of her Department's budgets will the funding announced for a Serious Violence strategy be allocated; and whether such allocation of funds will effect the budgets of other existing programmes led by her Department.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office is providing £40 million of funding over 2 years to support the initiatives in the Serious Violence Strategy.The funding is through the Home Secretary’s crime reduction budget and it does not affect any existing programme budgets.

Immigrants

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people excluding those on student visas have been granted leave to remain in the UK with no recourse to public funds since 2010.

Caroline Nokes: Where recourse to public funds is not automatic, leave to remain in the UK is normally granted with a condition of No Recourse to Public Funds unless to prevent destitution. The number of those granted leave with no recourse to public funds excluding those on student visas is not held in a format which can be reported on. However the total number of in-country grants of leave to remain is recorded and can be found in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Extensions tables, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017/list-of-tables

Immigrants

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that non-UK EU citizens are aware that they will need to apply for settled status if they wish to remain in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The Prime Minister has consistently made clear that protecting the status of EU citizens and their families living in the UK, and UK nationals living in the EU, was her top priority for negotiations. As agreed with the EU in March 2018, EU citizens resident in the UK will have until the end of the grace period in June 2021 to apply for the Settlement Scheme, which will enable them to continue living their lives broadly as now.It is vital that the over three million non-UK EU citizens and their family members living in the UK understand how and when to apply to the settlement scheme. That is why the Home Office has already launched a national ‘stay informed’ awareness campaign to set out EU citizens’ rights after the UK leaves the EU and to point towards reliable sources information, including official emails from the government. In addition, the Home Office will continue regular engagement with stakeholders as we design the Scheme and develop our communications plans, so we can ensure that the Scheme reflects the needs of users and we communicate it in the most effective way possible. A new user group with organisations that support vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, children and families, victims of domestic violence and those with English as a second language, has also been established to ensure everyone has the right support. EU citizens and their family members who would like to find out more about the Settlement Scheme and be informed when they can apply for it can sign up for email updates at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/status-of-eu-nationals-in-the-uk-what-you-need-to-know.

Immigrants

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department plans to (a) write to all eligible non-UK EU citizens and (b) use advertising to inform such citizens that they must apply for settled status if they wish to remain in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The Prime Minister has consistently made clear that protecting the status of EU citizens and their families living in the UK, and UK nationals living in the EU, was her top priority for negotiations. As agreed with the EU in March 2018, EU citizens resident in the UK will have until the end of the grace period in June 2021 to apply for the Settlement Scheme, which will enable them to continue living their lives broadly as now.It is vital that the over three million non-UK EU citizens and their family members living in the UK understand how and when to apply to the settlement scheme. That is why the Home Office has already launched a national ‘stay informed’ awareness campaign to set out EU citizens’ rights after the UK leaves the EU and to point towards reliable sources information, including official emails from the government. This activity complements wider communications through the media, digital channels and with stakeholders, including businesses and EU citizens’ representatives, ahead of the scheme going live in the second half of this year. A new user group with organisations that support vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, children and families, victims of domestic violence and those with English as a second language, has also been established to ensure everyone has the right support. EU citizens and their family members who would like to find out more about the Settlement Scheme and be informed when they can apply for it can sign up for email updates at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/status-of-eu-nationals-in-the-uk-what-you-need-to-know.

Police Patrolling: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many police officers conducted street patrols in the (a) West Midlands and (b) Coventry in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes information on the primary roles that police officers perform, as well as the number of frontline officers, for every police force area in England and Wales. These data are published annually as part of the 'police workforce, England and Wales' statistical bulletin, the latest of which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/police-workforce-england-and-wales-31-march-2017 Data on the primary roles officers perform, and the number of officers on the frontline, are collected at police force area level only, and cannot be broken down any further. Furthermore, the number of officers specifically on foot patrol cannot be separately identified in the data. The latest available data on frontline officers, broken down by police force area and going back to 2010, can be found in Table_F5 of the data tables accompanying the main release. Data for the years 2010 to 2014 are estimated since data prior to 31 March 2015 were collected under a different framework, with different definitions. Decisions on the size and deployment of the police workforce are operational matters for Chief Officers working with their Police and Crime Commissioners and taking into account local priorities.

Police: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to Written Statement of 31 January 2018 on Police Funding, HCWS439, which refers to an increase in total investment in the police system of up to £450 million including £270 million from increases in the precept, for what reason the press release, entitled Serious Violence Strategy funding: rebuttals and clarifications, of 10 April 2018 refers to a comprehensive settlement that will increase police funding by £460 million for 2018-19 including £280 million drawn from increased precept contributions.

Mr Nick Hurd: My statement setting out the police funding settlement on 31 January estimated the increase in precept income for 2018/19 at around £270m. The estimate assumed that all Police & Crime Commissioners would use their precept flexibility and that Council Tax base would increase in line with forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility. On 28 March, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government published statistics on what Council Tax precept will actually raise this year. Based on MHCLG’s figures, we expect total precept income will increase by just over £280m with total investment increasing by around £460m in 2018/18. Updated force level funding increases are set out at the fact sheet available at https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2018/03/29/factsheet-police-funding-for-2018-19-explained/

Crime Prevention: Finance

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the press release of 9 April 2018, entitled Home Secretary launches serious violence strategy, which projects are to be allocated the £40 million of her Department's funding referred to; and how much each such project will receive.

Victoria Atkins: The Serious Violence Strategy commits £40m of Home Office funding to support delivery over two years (2018-19 and 2019-20). This includes £11m for the Early Intervention Youth Fund; £3.6m for the new National County Lines Co-ordination Centre; £1m each year for the (anti knife crime) Community Fund; and £500,000 to support Heroin and Crack Cocaine Action Areas. Further details on how the remainder of the funding will be used to support the commitments in the Strategy will be the subject of further announcements in due course. This will include further support to Redthread for its youth violence intervention work in hospitals, future knife crime media campaigns, new local and regional reviews, new rounds of the Ending Gang Violence and Exploitation Fund, funding for Young Peoples Advocates, the test purchase prosecution fund, support for interventions with vulnerable groups, work on police testing kits in respect of corrosive substances, a thematic inspection of police forces in respect of county lines, and preventative measures in respect of gang related material on social media.

Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 135034, for how many days each of the four requests to visit Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre was under consideration by the Minister for Immigration before being granted.

Caroline Nokes: The Minster for Immigration will always try to answer requests within six weeks.

Visas: Turkey

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134853, whether her Department plans to introduce transitional arrangements for Turkish business people who have been in the UK for up to four years under the European Community Association Agreement with Turkey visa scheme to allow them to apply for indefinite leave to remain after four years in the UK.

Caroline Nokes: Turkish business persons who submitted settlement applications under the Ankara Agreement prior to 16 March 2018 will be assessed under the guidance which was in force at the date of application. For those who do not fall into these transitional arrangements, the Home Office has already announced plans to introduce a new settlement route for Turkish business persons in the Immigration Rules later this year. While the requirements of such a category are to be determined, this will be a charged route in line with others who are seeking to settle in the UK. Alternatively, Turkish business persons and their family members can continue to apply for further limited leave to remain under the Ankara Agreement on the same basis as they do now. Limited leave to remain applications continue to be free of charge.

Immigration: Children

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department holds information on the number of families with no recourse to public funds who have been offered support under Section 17 of the Children's Act 1989 in (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency, (b) London and (c) England in each of the last seven years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office is not required to hold this information. It is for Local Authorities in England to consider where support under the Children’s Act should be provided where the parents are subject to immigration conditions that restrict access to public funds.

Immigrants: Children

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made any recent assessment of the adequacy of support available to the children of parents with no recourse to public funds.

Caroline Nokes: Leave to remain in the UK is normally granted with a condition that prevents the person and their dependants from receiving welfare assistance from public funds. However, where the person qualifies for leave to remain on grounds related to their family or private life the condition is lifted if they or they or their dependent children would otherwise be destitute. In addition, children with no recourse to public funds are not precluded from support from a local authority under section 17 of the Children Act 1989. Assessment of the level of support needed is built into these provisions and will vary according to circumstances. The level of support provided under section 17 depends on the local authority’s assessment of the child’s needs.

Immigrants: Detainees

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people living in (a) Lewisham Deptford constituency and (b) the London Borough of Lewisham have (i) been detained for immigration purposes and (ii) successfully appealed a Home Office decision to detain them for immigration purposes in each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.Home Office data is not broken down by Parliamentary constituency or metropolitan borough. The latest data, which goes back to 2009, is published in ‘Immigration Statistics, October to December 2017’, and is available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/681703/detention-oct-dec-2017-tables.ods.There is no process of appeal against detention decisions, but detainees are able to apply to a judge of the First-tier Tribunal for bail, as many times as they wish. They are also able to challenge the lawfulness of detention via judicial review or writ of habeas corpus.

Treasury

Money Laundering: Cryptocurrencies

Adam Afriyie: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department plans to review money laundering regulations to take into account the effect of cryptocurrencies.

John Glen: The Government has committed to bringing digital currencies into the scope of anti-money laundering regulation. The Government anticipates that the Fifth Anti-Money Laundering Directive will enter into force at EU-level in summer of this year, with a transposition deadline of late 2019. This will be during the Implementation Period, and so the UK will transpose this Directive. These amendments bring virtual currency exchanges and custodian wallet providers into the scope of obliged entities. We will consult on any steps the government proposes to take to regulate digital currencies under UK law. The Government has also recently announced the establishment of the Cryptoassets Taskforce, consisting of HM Treasury, the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority. As part of its work, the Taskforce will consider the risks of cryptoassets and the future responses of the appropriate authorities, including around anti-money laundering regulation.

Public Sector: Pensions

Ruth Cadbury: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 30 January 2018 to Question 124848, when his Department plans to complete its consideration of the implications of the Walker v. Innospec Limited judgment for public service schemes.

Elizabeth Truss: On the 21 March my officials wrote to public service scheme representatives about the implications of this judgment. Departments responsible for public service schemes will now take forward any necessary regulatory changes

Children: Day Care

Ruth George: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the compensation criteria is for parents who miss out on tax-free childcare payments as a result of technical problems experienced with the online childcare service.

Elizabeth Truss: The majority of parents use the childcare service without any problems. Where parents have missed out on receiving the government top-up for Tax-Free Childcare, HMRC will pay the equivalent of the government top-up directly into their bank account. Information on the criteria and how to claim can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childcare-service-compensation

European Banking Authority

Paul Blomfield: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if the UK will remain a member of the European Banking Authority during the implementation period for the UK leaving the EU.

John Glen: The UK and EU negotiating teams have agreed the terms of a time-limited Implementation Period. Once the UK becomes a third country, we will withdraw from the institutions of the EU. As a non-member state, we have been clear that the UK will no longer have the same role in the decision-making of the EU. However, it is clearly in the interests of both sides that the UK continues to work closely together on matters that concern the UK, as set out in the agreement. The UK takes its international obligations to protect financial stability very seriously and we remain strongly supportive of continued engagement and cooperation between UK and EU regulators. To help ensure a smooth adjustment to the future relationship, the UK will continue to engage with and work alongside the European Banking Authority during the Implementation Period.

Broadband: Small Businesses

Stephen McPartland: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what plans he has to review tax rates applicable to the telecommunications industry for SMEs investing in broadband fibre.

Robert Jenrick: The government keeps all tax rates under review, and is already introducing a five-year business rates relief for new full-fibre infrastructure. The government has also launched a £190m Challenge Fund, the £67m nationwide Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and the Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund with £400m of public investment to stimulate the market to build full-fibre infrastructure and connect more homes and businesses than ever before.

Cryptocurrencies

Gavin Robinson: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on promoting the use of digital currencies; and what impact assessment has been carried out on the economic benefits of regulating that sector.

John Glen: As announced in the Fintech sector strategy in March, the government is establishing a Cryptoassets Taskforce made up of the Treasury, the Bank of England, and the Financial Conduct Authority. The Taskforce will explore further the challenges of cryptoassets and the opportunities of the underlying distributed ledger technology in financial services, as well as assess the future response of the appropriate authorities, including around regulation. The Taskforce will publish its final report in summer 2018.

Financial Conduct Authority

Grant Shapps: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he has taken to ensure there is (a) transparency, (b) fairness and (c) integrity in the work of the Financial Conduct Authority; and whether he plans to take any further steps to ensure those criteria are met.

John Glen: The Government has given the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) three statutory objectives – securing an appropriate degree of protection for consumers, protecting and enhancing the integrity of the financial system, and promoting effective competition in the interests of consumers. The FCA must also have regard to eight regulatory principles, including transparency - exercising its functions as openly as possible - and proportionality - ensuring any regulation is appropriate and fair, considering costs and benefits. The FCA is accountable to the Treasury and to Parliament. For example, the Treasury appoints members to the FCA Board, and the FCA’s annual report and accounts must be laid in Parliament by the Treasury. The Government is satisfied that the current legislative framework ensures there is transparency, fairness, and integrity in the work of the FCA.

Annuities

Craig Mackinlay: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to extend to the annuity market the freedom that people have to access their pensions.

Craig Mackinlay: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the Government is taking to help enable people with annuities to access liquidity from their products as a result of changes to their financial circumstances.

John Glen: The government announced in October 2016 that it would not be continuing with proposals to remove the restrictions on the sale of existing annuities. As these proposals progressed it became increasingly clear that the conditions required for a competitive market to emerge, with multiple buyers and sellers of annuities, could not be balanced with sufficient consumer protections. This could have led to consumers receiving poor value for their annuity income streams and suffering higher costs in the sales process. Consumer protection is a top priority for the government and it would not have been acceptable to allow a market to develop which could produce poor outcomes for consumers. There are no plans to review the decision not to continue with proposals for a secondary market in annuities at this time.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-assessment tax payers have been audited by HMRC in each financial year since 2010.

Mel Stride: HMRC have audited the following number of self-assessment tax payers since 2011: 2011-122012-132013-142014-152015-162016-17Cases Completed191,789306,178255,194256,765286,566305,811 HMRC does not have readily available figures for the period 2010-2011 as this predates the electronic system currently used to collate this information. To note: figures provided above are not directly comparable over time as organisational boundaries and approaches to carrying out and recording compliance work may have changed.

Taxation: Self-assessment

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many self-assessment tax payers have been fined by HMRC for under-reporting in each year since 2010.

Mel Stride: The information requested is not available. HMRC does not record penalties in this way, the information is collated based on behavioural definitions.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the timetable is for the review of the Financial Ombudsman Service to begin.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, who will chair the independent review of the Financial Service Ombudsman; and what steps he plans to take to ensure the independence of the Chair of that review.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the scope is of the independent review into the Financial Ombudsman Service.

Nick Thomas-Symonds: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the timetable is for the independent review of the Financial Service Ombudsman to report.

John Glen: Channel 4’s Dispatches programme raised several concerns regarding the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). The FOS has made clear that its priority is to reassure its customers and stakeholders that they can trust the rigour and fairness of its decisions. The FOS has committed to appoint an independent reviewer to look into all the allegations made by the programme. The FOS is an independent non-governmental body. The Treasury has no role in appointing the independent reviewer, setting their terms of reference, including the scope of the review, or in setting the timeline for the review. This is the role of the FOS’s Board of Directors, which is appointed by the Financial Conduct Authority.

Supported Housing: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published in February 2016, what progress his Department has made in implementing recommendation 10.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government has accepted in principle recommendation 10 of The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health. HM Treasury is supporting the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in considering how to take forward this recommendation.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Data Protection

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his policy is on companies that sell personal data to third parties.

Margot James: The Government takes both the protection of personal data and the right to privacy extremely seriously. We expect all organisations to abide by the law when processing (including sharing or selling) personal data. The Data Protection Act 1998 has served us well and placed the UK at the front of global data protection standards. With the new Data Protection Bill, Government are modernising the data protection laws in the UK to make them fit for purpose for our increasingly digital economy and society. It will set new standards for protecting general data, in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), giving people more control over use of their data, and provide new rights to move or delete personal data. This new data protection regime will come into force on 25 May 2018.

Gambling: Advertising

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment the Government has made of the potential merits of banning gambling adverts on television shown prior to the watershed of 9pm.

Tracey Crouch: There are strict controls on the content of all gambling advertisements, including television adverts. Gambling operators who advertise in the UK must comply with the advertising codes, which aim to ensure gambling advertising does not appeal particularly to children or young people or exploit those who are vulnerable. Gambling adverts must not portray, condone or encourage gambling behaviour that is socially irresponsible or could lead to financial, social or emotional harm. The Committees for Advertising Practice recently published guidance setting out tougher standards for interpreting the rules on gambling advertising, focusing on protections for those vulnerable to problem gambling and on free bets and bonuses. Further guidance on protecting children and young people will be published later this year. Through the Gambling Industry Code for Socially Responsible Advertising there is an industry-wide voluntary commitment not to advertise on television before 9pm, with the exception of lotteries, bingo and advertising around live sporting events. This code also bans free sign up offers targeted at new customers before 9pm. We sought evidence on protections around advertising as part of the Government's Review of Gaming Machines and Social Responsibility Measures, and outlined a package of measures in our consultation. The consultation closed in January and we will publish our response in due course.

Theatre: Closures

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of trends in the number of theatres that have closed in the UK since 2010.

Michael Fabricant: We do not hold data on trends of theatre closures.

Football: Scotland

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will publish any Government reports that assess the suitability of safe standing in the Scottish Premier League.

Tracey Crouch: The Sports Grounds Safety Authority, which licenses relevant stadia in England and Wales, has produced a technical report on the Installation of Dual Purpose Seating and Standing Area at Celtic Park, Glasgow, following its introduction at that ground. The report does not consider the case for the introduction of standing accommodation in England and Wales. We will be publishing this report in due course.

Football: Sportsgrounds

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent meetings her Department has had with (a) football fan groups, (b) representatives of Premier League football clubs, (c) representatives of English Football League clubs, (d) the Football Association, Scottish Football Association and Football Association of Wales and (e) Celtic Football Club on safe standing in football grounds.

Tracey Crouch: Ministers meet regularly with the relevant football authorities and representatives of supporters’ groups to discuss a wide range of issues including the Government’s all-seater policy.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Fracking

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate his Department has made of the number of shale oil wells that will be in place by (a) 2025 and (b) 2030.

Claire Perry: There have been no specific estimates on the number of shale oil wells that will be in place by (a) 2025 or (b) 2030. The Government will continue to monitor progress of the shale industry and will revise its estimates as appropriate as the industry develops.

Wind Power: Seas and Oceans

Dr Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential for offshore wind to deliver significant electricity system cost reductions by 2030.

Claire Perry: Competitive auctions under the Contracts for Difference scheme have successfully delivered substantial new investment and seen the clearing price for offshore wind halve since 2015. This means that we are buying more offshore wind for less and reducing the cost burden of decarbonising our electricity system for consumers. In the Clean Growth Strategy we announced that we would support 10 gigawatts or more of new offshore wind capacity to be built in the 2020s provided costs continue to fall and this remains cost effective. No specific assessment has been made of the potential for offshore wind to deliver significant electricity system cost reductions by 2030. However, we are committed to developing a more secure grid which will help keep prices low for consumers and integrate clean generation.

Post Offices: Cash Dispensing

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Post Office on the termination of the Post Office’s Branch ATM Agreement.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions his Department has had with owners of post office branches on the termination of the ATM Agreement.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the termination of the Post Office’s Branch ATM Agreement on the availability of cash in rural areas.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many post offices in the Post Office branch network have free-to-use cash machines.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the termination of the Post Office’s Branch ATM Agreement on the long-term viability of post office branches.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the effect of the termination of the Post Office’s Branch ATM Agreement on footfall in post office branches.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government is committed to widespread free access to cash and continues to work with the industry to ensure appropriate provision remains in place. Post Office Ltd, in partnership with the Bank of Ireland, provides about 2700 free-to-use ATMs across 2353 branches. There are no plans to terminate this arrangement. In addition, independent retail partners and postmasters, who operate most branches across the Post Office network, offer about 4000 ATMs under private agreements with independent ATM providers. Continued provision of these machines is a commercial decision for individual retail partners and ATM providers to take. Separately, Post Office Ltd supplies cash to 103 of these ATMs and has given notice to the relevant ATM providers and post office operators of its commercial decision to end this service. ATM providers are free to use alternative suppliers and Post Office Ltd is offering appropriate support in this transition. 99% of personal banking customers and 95% of small business banking customers can also withdraw cash and make deposits over the counter at any post office branch across the country under the Access to Banking Standard agreed between the Post Office and high street banks in 2016.

ACAS: Telephone Services

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, (a) how many calls the ACAS helpline received and (b) what the budget was for ACAS Helpline Services in 2017-18.

Andrew Griffiths: a) The Acas Helpline received 755,755 calls in 2017/18. b) The Acas Helpline is not managed through a separately allocated budget. In 2017/18 the estimated cost of the Helpline was £6.3m in terms of Salaries and General Admin Expenditure.

ACAS: Expenditure

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the (a) Government funding, (b) annual spending and (c) total staff head count was for ACAS in each financial year since 2010.

Andrew Griffiths: The table below summarises Acas’ annual funding, spending and Full Time Equivalent (FTE) head count since 2010. Government Funding (£'000)Annual Spend (£'000)Head Count (FTE)2010-1147,20052,6658762011-1248,00951,0448272012-1346,45051,3297872013-1445,80049,8887872014-1544,24051,0377842015-1645,05051,1227822016-1744,90049,296758 The majority of ACAS’ funding is through Grant in Aid from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. ACAS also charges customers in order to recover costs for some of its services. Information for 2017/18 will be available from July on completion of the annual report and account.

ACAS: Telephone Services

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many referrals were made to enforcement agencies from the ACAS helpline in (a) 2016-17 and (b) 2017-18.

Andrew Griffiths: a) In 2016/17 Acas Helpline advisers made 2,648 referrals to enforcement agencies. b) In 2017/18 Acas Helpline advisers made 2,353 referrals to enforcement agencies.

Disclosure of Information

Grant Shapps: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if the Government will assess the effectiveness of (a) protections in law for workers from penalisation for whistle-blowing and (b) incentives to ensure that workers are not dissuaded from raising matters of improper conduct relating to their place of work.

Andrew Griffiths: In 2013 the Government published a wide-ranging call for evidence on the effectiveness of the whistleblowing framework. The Government’s response in 2014 set out a plan of legislative and non-legislative actions to improve the framework: those actions are essentially complete. We believe that the legal framework is effective, but as the Government response said, the legal framework in isolation cannot prevent malpractice or encourage people to raise their concerns. The steps that we have taken since 2014 also help to address the wider cultural barriers to effective whistleblowing. The Government considers that financial incentives for whistleblowers would be unlikely to increase the number of quality disclosures received and could have adverse consequences.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure greater protection and improved redress for consumers where developers of new build homes fail on their obligations to complete the construction in accordance with the conditions of the grant of planning permission.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure greater protection and improved redress for consumers where developers of new build homes fail to complete development infrastructure in respect of roads, drainage, sewerage and street lighting to the satisfaction of the local planning authority to the extent that such infrastructure remains unadopted.

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans he has to ensure greater protection and improved redress for consumers where developers of new build homes fail to complete the development infrastructure and in the event that infrastructure utilities refuse to adopt that infrastructure.

Dominic Raab: The Government is committed to fixing our broken housing market, to ensure we have a housing market that works for everyone. We expect housing developers to deliver good quality housing, on time, and to treat house buyers fairly.The majority of house builders are covered by an industry-led consumer code or warranty provider scheme which can offer resolution where things go wrong, but these do not always cover all issues. Where applicable, the industry-led Codes offer protection for the pre and post sales process and can include a completion timeframe. Where breaches of the code are evident, consumers can raise a complaint through the independent dispute resolution service. If consumers are unhappy with the warranty provider they can raise a complaint through the Financial Ombudsman Service.It is right that developers are required to mitigate the impacts of development, and pay for the cumulative impacts of development on the infrastructure in their area. Specifically on the adoption of roads, this is covered under separate legislation (s.38 of the Highways Act 1980).There are already existing enforcement powers available to local authorities to ensure developers comply with conditions of the grant of planning permission.Through our package of planning reforms, which includes the revised draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the reforms to developer contributions, we’re putting more rigour into the system so that plans are clear about the obligations expected for infrastructure and affordable housing and developers are held to account in meeting them.In February, we published the consultation “Strengthening consumer redress in the housing market”, to simplify the redress process so consumers have a clear and simple route to redress This follows the Secretary of State’s commitment from last November to explore options for improving redress in the housing market.

Housing: Construction

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2018 to Question 130480 on Housing: Construction, in the event that (a) a local authority does not have enough brownfield land left to meet their objectively assessed need and (b) neighbouring authorities cannot meet their unmet need would a Local Plan that does not meet objectively assessed housing need be passed by a Planning Inspector.

Dominic Raab: The draft revised National Planning Policy Framework, published for consultation on 5 March, makes it clear that plans will be found sound by a Planning Inspector only if they provide a strategy which will, as a minimum, meet as much of the identified housing need as possible. To do that they should make effective use of the land they have.As well as using brownfield land and working with neighbours, local planning authorities should explore all other options such as under-utilised employment and commercial land and minimum density standards where appropriate.

Right to Buy Scheme

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have purchased a property through the Help to Buy scheme in (a) the Telford constituency, (b) Telford and Wrekin borough, (c) Shropshire, (d) the West Midlands and (e) the UK since the inception of that scheme.

Dominic Raab: The following data refers to Help to Buy: Equity Loan which operates in England only.The number of households who have purchased a home through Help to Buy: Equity Loan from April 2013 to September 2017:(a) the Telford constituency 659(b) Telford and Wrekin borough 1,383(c) Shropshire 887(d) the West Midlands 15,965(e) the UK since the inception of that scheme. England 144,826There are other Help to Buy schemes, both closed and currently open: the Scottish and Welsh governments currently run Help to Buy schemes with equity shares in Scotland and Wales.Help to Buy: mortgage guarantee was available across the UK and open to new mortgage offers from October 2013 to December 2016.Help to Buy: ISA opened in December 2015 and is open for new accounts until November 2019.

Right to Buy Scheme

Lucy Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many properties purchased through the Help to Buy scheme in (a) Telford constituency, (b) Telford and Wrekin borough and (c) England were purchased by (i) leasehold and (ii) freehold in each year since the inception of that scheme.

Dominic Raab: Help to Buy: Equity Loan data is set out in the quarterly statistical release covering April 2013 to September 2017:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/help-to-buy-equity-loan-scheme-and-help-to-buy-newbuy-statistics-april-2013-to-30-september-2017

Parish Councils: Data Protection

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance his Department provides to parish councils on compliance the General Data Protection Regulation; and if he will make a statement.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance has been provided in respect of parish meetings on compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation; and if he will make a statement.

Rishi Sunak: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has not issued any guidance to parish councils or parish meetings about compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). However, both the Government and the Information Commissioner recognise the challenges facing organisations across the UK in their preparations for the Data Protection Bill and the GDPR and are taking steps to help ensure that smaller bodies are both aware of their responsibilities, and also that they are proportionate to their size.The Information Commissioner's website (ico.org.uk) includes resources and guidance intended to help smaller organisations, including parish councils, prepare for the new regime. The Commissioner has also launched a dedicated helpline service for smaller organisations, simplifying her "12-step" GDPR preparation guidance in response to feedback from small and micro-enterprises and will continue to develop further guidance as implementation approaches.

EU Committee of the Regions

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the merits of the UK continuing to send representatives to sit on the Committee of the Regions.

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the cost of sending UK representatives to the Committee of the Regions in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Rishi Sunak: The Committee of the Regions can make a significant contribution to the decision making processes of the European Union on issues such as transport, the economy, social and territorial cohesion, and it is right that there is a UK delegation to the Committee whilst the UK is a member of the European Union. There is no direct cost to the UK taxpayer.Members of the Committee of the Regions who participate in plenary sessions, Bureau meetings, commission meetings and meetings of working parties or joint committees are entitled to travel expenses, a flat-rate travel allowance and a flat-rate meeting allowance; with the costs met by the European Union’s Committee of the Regions.Following the UK’s exit from the European Union, we do not anticipate that the UK would continue to be members of the Committee of the Regions, nor would we have a mandate to remain within this body.

Housing: Construction

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of the number of new homes that will be built between March 2018 and March 2022.

Dominic Raab: 1,111,000 additional homes have been delivered in England since April 2010, and housing supply increased by 217,350 net additional dwellings in 2016-17 – the highest level since 2007-08.The reforms in our Housing White Paper, together with the measures announced at Autumn Budget, put Government on track to create, fund and drive a housing market which delivers 300,000 homes a year on average by the mid-2020s. We will meet our 2015 commitment to deliver a million homes by the end of 2020 and half a million more by the end of 2022.

Electric Cables: Fire Prevention

Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the current minimum reaction to fire classifications are for cables in (a) hospitals, (b) schools, (c) homes and (d) work places.

Dominic Raab: The electrical safety of cables in buildings is regulated through the Electricity at Work Regulations for workplaces and through the Building Regulations for dwellings. The industry guidance which supports the Regulations – BS 7671 (known as “The Wiring regulations”) – sets a minimum performance requirement equivalent to the Class E classification of reaction to fire.As part of our consideration of the independent review of the Building Regulations and fire safety led by Dame Judith Hackitt, we will review the evidence of risk associated with electrical cabling to consider how we should respond.

Council Tax: Non-payment

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Ministry holds on the number of people referred to bailiffs for non-payment of council tax by local authorities which (a) provide a full council tax reduction scheme and (b) do not provide a full council tax reduction scheme, for each year since 2013.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Ministry holds on the number of people who received a court summons for non-payment of council tax in local authority areas which (a) provide a full council tax reduction scheme and (b) do not provide a full council tax reduction scheme, for each year since 2013.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what information his Ministry holds on the average amount of court costs incurred by people who have received a summons for non-payment of council tax in local authority areas which (a) provide a full council tax reduction scheme and (b) do not provide a full council tax reduction scheme, for each year since 2013.

Rishi Sunak: The Department does not collect the information requested. The Local Government Finance Act 1992 requires all billing authorities in England to develop their own schemes to provide council tax support to local residents.

Social Rented Housing: Sales

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have bought social housing properties since 2012.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The number of social housing sales since 2012 is available in live table 678 https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-salesThese are figures for sales of social housing in England only, figures on the sales of social housing in Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administration.Our record on the provision of affordable housing is a strong one with over 357,000 affordable homes delivered since 2010. This included 257,000 homes for rent. Whilst 69,000 local authority homes have been sold since 2010, there have been 127,000 new homes provided for social rent during the same period.

Flats: Fire Prevention

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the fire resilience of flats in timber-framed residential buildings.

Dominic Raab: In 2012, the Department published "Analysis of fires in buildings of timber framed construction, England, 2009-10 to 2011-12", ISBN 9781409837442. This is available at: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/analysis-of-fires-in-buildings-of-timber-framed-construction-england-2009-10-to-2011-12

Affordable Housing

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that developers meet their quotas for affordable housing.

Dominic Raab: In March, the Government published a draft revised National Planning Policy Framework for consultation which sets out a new approach to viability. The approach will create more certainty about the contributions developers are expected to make towards affordable housing.

Business Improvement Districts

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve the transparency of Business Improvement District bodies.

Jake Berry: In 2015 the Government published best practice guidance, which makes clear that a Business Improvement District should be transparent and accountable to its levy payers. The use of social media, an up-to-date website, news releases, newsletters to levy payers, regular meetings and producing annual accounts, are some of the ways to ensure that the work of the Business Improvement District is open and available for scrutiny by its levy payers. Some Business Improvement Districts do already publish audited accounts and we recommend this as a way to ensure transparency.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Jake Berry: 100 per cent of roles advertised by the Department during (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative. The Department was compliant with the Ban the Box initiative prior to the Civil Service adopting the policy as a default position in February 2016.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

Jake Berry: The Department was compliant with the initiative prior to the Civil Service adopting the policy as a default position in February 2016. The Department continues to comply with the Ban the Box initiative and as such there is no implementation plan required.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimates he has made of the financial costs to leaseholders in tower blocks as a result of incurring charges to (a) fund continuous waking watch fire patrols as a result of unsafe aluminium composite material cladding and (b) replace such cladding.

Dominic Raab: The cost of recladding a tower block and implementing interim fire safety measures varies significantly depending on the individual characteristics of the building.My Department has made clear that it considers that building owners should take responsibility for funding fire safety measures including replacement of dangerous cladding. Government will consider financial flexibilities for local authorities who need to undertake essential fire safety work to make a building safe.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) procedures and (b) funding his Department has in place to provide alternative accommodation to leaseholders in a tower block in the event that that tower block is evacuated as a consequence of unsafe aluminium composite material cladding.

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what (a) procedures and (b) funding his Department has in place to provide alternative accommodation to social housing tenants in a tower block in the event that that tower block is evacuated as a consequence of unsafe aluminium composite material cladding.

Dominic Raab: The decision to evacuate a building due to fire safety concerns is a serious matter and should be considered in light of the risks for each specific building. Where this decision is taken, the local housing authority is responsible for ensuring any necessary procedures are in place, including for the provision of alternative accommodation.

Council Tax: Self-employed

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities use the minimum income floor for universal credit to calculate the eligibility of self-employed claimants for council tax support.

Rishi Sunak: We have devolved the implementation of council tax support to local authorities in England, as they are best placed to decide how to provide help most effectively to low income council tax payers in their communities.The Department does not hold information on the number of local authorities that use a minimum income floor in assessing self-employed applicants applying for council tax reduction.

Council Tax: Self-employed

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will commission research into the number of self-employed council tax support claimants who have lost (a) part and (b) all of their entitlement to council tax support since the introduction of the minimum income floor by local authorities.

Rishi Sunak: The distribution of local council tax support is a matter for local authorities and we do not currently intend to conduct research on the design or impacts of local schemes.However, councils conduct equality impact assessments when designing their schemes each year and also consult local residents and take their views into account.

Council Tax: Tax Allowances

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many local authorities provide full Council Tax Relief for working-age people.

Rishi Sunak: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government does not collect data on the number of local authorities offering full council tax relief to working-age applicants. There are currently 2.4 million working-age claimants in receipt of a reduced council tax bill across England.

Buildings: Fires

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department will review Approved Document B as a result of his Department's findings, Analysis of fires in buildings of timber framed construction, England, 2009-10 to 2011-12, published in December 2012 which states that fires in timber frame constructions are more extensive than fires in other forms of construction; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Government has commissioned Dame Judith Hackitt to take forward an independent review of the Building Regulations and fire safety system. Any decision on future fire safety requirements will be taken following the completion of that review, which is expected to be published in Spring 2018.

Council Tax: Non-payment

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of legislative proposals to remove prison sentences for the non-payment of council tax in line with other forms civil debt sentencing.

Rishi Sunak: Every penny of council tax that is not collected means a higher council tax or worse services in an area. However, it is important that councils are sympathetic to those in genuine hardship and are proportionate in enforcement. The Council Tax (Administration and Enforcement) Regulations are clear that the magistrates courts can only consider sending people to prison where the failure to pay is due to wilful refusal or culpable neglect. The Department has no plans to change those provisions.

Local Government

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, when he decided to seek legal authority through secondary legislation to amend retrospectively the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 in respect of proposals for single tier local government; and what consultation was carried out prior to the publication of the draft Regulations.

Rishi Sunak: The Secretary of State is not seeking to amend retrospectively the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will place in the Library a copy of the notes of the meeting held between officials of his Department and Section 151 Officers from Dorset Councils in June 2016 when the 20-year harmonisation period was discussed.

Rishi Sunak: My officials regularly meet with officers from Dorset councils and whilst our records show we had such a meeting in June 2016, we have no notes of that meeting.

Local Government: Dorset

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what guidance he has issued to Dorset Councils under the provisions of Section 3(5)(b) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 on what a proposal for single tier local government in Dorset should seek to achieve and the matters to be taken into account.

Rishi Sunak: No guidance has been issued to Dorset Councils under the provisions of section 3(5)(b) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Military Intervention

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many military airstrikes were carried out by the RAF in Syria in ach month between March 2017 and March 2018.

Mark Lancaster: Holding answer received on 18 April 2018



The UK has carried out a total of 249 airstrikes in Syria between March 2017 – March 2018. These are broken down by month in the following table:  MonthStrikes2017March3 April6 May15 June30 July38 August49 September32 October15 November5 December92018January30 February15 March2Total 249 The data contained in this answer is believed to be complete and correct at the time of issue. The Ministry of Defence’s operational activity databases are frequently reviewed and any errors and omissions are corrected. It is therefore possible that future answer might not match this answer exactly. Our aim is to ensure that our records are as complete and correct as possible.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 March 2018, Spring Statement, HCWS 540, if he will publish a list of where the £12.7 million in EU exit funding for his Department will be allocated.

Mark Lancaster: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for Defence Procurement on 16 March 2018 to Question 132371 to the hon. Member for Bootle (Peter Dowd).



WQnA extract on MOD: Public Expenditure
(Word Document, 22.22 KB)

Defence: Procurement

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what requirements his Department places on bidders to demonstrate the potential effect of their winning a contract on (a) UK employment and (b) the UK economy.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence considers a number of factors to determine what is the most economically advantageous tender for any contract. Where it is relevant to the requirement and does not prejudice free and fair competition, wider economic factors can be taken into account and bidders are required to demonstrate how they will meet the requirement.

Armed Forces

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many fewer full-time (a) male and (b) female service personnel there were at the most recent date for which data is available compared with 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Armed Forces: Housing

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to Joint Service Publication 464 Section IX,  what discussions he has had with CarillionAmey on service family accommodation complaints procedure.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Changes to Ministry of Defence (MOD) Accommodation Policy are agreed by the Department, and officials have engaged with CarillionAmey regarding the recent changes to the Service Family Accommodation complaints procedure (JSP 464 Section IX). The management of Stage 1 Complaints is discussed regularly between the Department and CarillionAmey as part of the normal National Housing Prime governance arrangements.The MOD is committed to providing Service personnel with accommodation that is at, or exceeds the Decent Homes Standard.

Members: Correspondence

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by what date he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Rochdale dated 26 February 2018 on songbirds in Cyprus, reference number IW/0029.

Mark Lancaster: I responded to the hon. Member on 16 April 2018.I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member; this was due to an administrative error.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Public Expenditure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the Written Statement of 13 March 2018, Spring Statement, HCWS 540, if he will publish a list of where the £0.3 million in EU exit funding for his Department will be allocated.

David Mundell: My Department has been allocated £0.3m for essential EU exit preparations in 2018-19. This will be spent on departmental work, so we can continue to prepare effectively for Brexit. As with all Reserve funding, finalised allocations will be confirmed at Supplementary Estimates 2018-19 in early 2019.

Scotland Office: Recruitment

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what proportion of job roles advertised within his Department in (a) 2016 and (b) 2017 excluded the box under the Ban the Box initiative.

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his Department's implementation plan is for banning the box on job applications.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on an assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies; principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, whose recruitment procedures are used to employ staff into the civil service. The implementation of initiatives such as Ban the Box would be a matter for the recruitment procedures adopted by the employing departments.

Scotland Office: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings he has had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

David Mundell: The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers. The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.

Department for International Trade

Legatum Institute

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will list the (a) meetings and discussions (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in his Department have had with the Legatum Institute and (b) outcomes of those discussions.

Greg Hands: Details of the meetings held by DIT Ministers are published on the Gov.UK website and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-international-trade&publication_type=transparency-dataBelow ministerial level, officials routinely meet with think tanks from time to time as part of general engagement activities of the department.

Women and Equalities

Gender Recognition

Catherine West: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, when the consultation on proposals to reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004 will be launched.

Victoria Atkins: We will be publishing the consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004 in due course, which will then run for at least 12 weeks. We are currently considering the content of the consultation.   We have been using the time since announcing the consultation in July 2017, to engage with a wide range of people and organisations, including transgender, LGBT, women’s rights and faith groups. This stakeholder engagement prior to the consultation has been very valuable. The Government recognises that there are a wide range of views on how we might reform the Act. We will continue to engage with stakeholders before, during, and after the consultation.We have also have been analysing the responses from trans people who responded to our recent National LGBT survey, and shared their experiences of applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate under the Gender Recognition Act. We will publish the results of this survey shortly We are currently working across Whitehall to ensure we fully understand what impact there could be from any reform to the Gender Recognition Act, and will continue to do so after the consultation.

Gender Recognition

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, if she will provide a timeframe for the publication of the consultation on reform of the Gender Recognition Act 2004.

Victoria Atkins: The consultation on reforming the Gender Recognition Act 2004 will be published in due course, which will then run for at least 12 weeks. We are currently considering the content of the consultation.   We have been using the time to analyse the responses of trans people to National LGBT survey, who shared their experiences of and views on applying for a Gender Recognition Certificate under the Gender Recognition Act. We will publish the results of this survey shortly.Our engagement with a range of people and organisation ahead of the consultation launch has been very valuable too. The Government recognises that there are a wide range of views on how we might reform the Act, and we have taken the time to listen to transgender, LGBT, women’s rights and faith groups.We will continue to engage with stakeholders before, during, and after the consultation, as well as across Whitehall to ensure we fully understand what impact there could be from any reform to the Gender Recognition Act.

Department for Transport

Tunnels: Pennines

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress he has made on the plan for the trans-Pennine tunnel.

Jesse Norman: The initial phase of work carried out by Highways England and Transport for the North, which sought to understand the cost and benefits of linking Manchester and Sheffield via a tunnel, found that while a long tunnel under the Peak District National Park was technically feasible, it was unaffordable and offered poor value for money. Further work is under way to examine the strategic, economic and environmental case for a shorter tunnel under the most environmentally sensitive areas of the National Park. This work is expected to report by the end of the year.

Roads: Lighting

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on the (a) procurement and (b) design of LED street lighting.

Jesse Norman: The (a) procurement and (b) design of LED street lighting is entirely a matter for each individual local highway authority. The Department for Transport endorses the UK Roads Liaison Group’s Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice which includes advice and guidance to highway authorities on all aspects of highways maintenance and management, including street lighting. The Code includes links to the Institution of Lighting Professionals website which provides a wide range of resources for lighting professionals from free downloads to Professional Lighting Guides, technical reports and general publications on the latest issues within the industry.

South Eastern Rail Franchise

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when he plans to announce the successful bidder for the new Southeastern franchise.

Joseph Johnson: The announcement of the award of the South Eastern rail franchise is scheduled for November 2018.

Virgin Trains

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has plans to withdraw the pre-qualification questionnaire passport from Virgin Trains.

Joseph Johnson: The Department is keeping Virgin’s eligibility for current and future bids under close scrutiny and constant review.

Train Operating Companies

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that train operating companies comply with consumer data legislation.

Joseph Johnson: The Department is currently updating its Franchise Agreement to reflect the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulations. This will ensure that all Train Operating Companies meet their legal obligations under the new consumer data regime.

Train Operating Companies: Compensation

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the proportion of the profit accrued by train operating companies from schedule 8 payments; and if he will make a statement.

Joseph Johnson: Schedule 8 of the Track Access Agreement between Network Rail and train operating companies (TOCs) sets out the process for compensating TOCs for the impact of unplanned service disruption where they are not at fault. The process is calibrated to compensate TOCs for their revenue lost and their additional costs incurred resulting from unplanned service disruption. Unplanned disruption often leads to TOCs having to incur many additional costs, including the cost of compensation to passengers, replacement bus/taxi costs, staff overtime and administration costs. It also often leads to TOCs receiving lower revenue due to passenger refunds and fewer passengers choosing to travel on the day of disruption and also in future. As such, payments under Schedule 8 are designed to prevent the TOCs making losses as a result of their extra costs and reduction in revenue, leaving the TOC financially neutral as a result of the disruption.

West Coast Railway Line

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which companies are responsible for train maintenance on the West Coast Main Line; and by whom those companies are owned.

Joseph Johnson: There are a number of train operating companies that operate on the West Coast mainline and their train maintenance is an individual commercial decision for each of these operators.

Roads: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the business case presented to his Department by Shropshire Council for funding of the NW Relief Road for Shrewsbury.

Jesse Norman: The Department is currently considering the business case for this scheme and several others within the Large Local Majors programme and aims to make announcements by Summer on which will be funded.

Transport: Essex

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to invest in strategic transport infrastructure in Essex.

Joseph Johnson: The Government understands the importance of strategic transport infrastructure in Essex, and is investing in the county. Highways England are progressing improvements to the A12 and Government has helped fund the development of plans for the A120 brought forward by Essex County Council. On the railways, the Greater Anglia franchise are investing to replace the whole fleet with new trains by 2020 and for c2c Essex Thameside will introduce an additional 60 vehicles due to be commissioned in 2021. The new fleet will provide more seats and Wi-Fi on board.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Hong Kong: Foreign Relations

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he made any representations to the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or to the Government of the People's Republic of China as a result of the findings of the Tenth Report of the Foreign Affairs Committee of Session 2014-15, The UK's relations with Hong Kong: 30 years after the Joint Declaration, HC 649.

Mark Field: ​The Government regularly discusses a range of issues with the Governments of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and the People's Republic of China, including implementation of the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the importance of 'One Country, Two Systems'. As part of this ongoing dialogue, officials in Hong Kong discussed the FAC's report with their HKSARG counterparts.

Burma: Rohingya

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what support the Government is providing to organisations that are collecting evidence to support a referral of Myanmar military leaders to the International Criminal Court for their treatment of the Rohingya people.

Mark Field: The UK supports the collection of evidence and testimony under way in Cox's Bazaar, Bangladesh. The UK is providing support to build the capacity of the Bangladesh National Human Rights Commission to investigate and document sexual violence cases. Such evidence and testimony can contribute to the historical record and could support future prosecutions. We welcome the UN Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee's recommendations in her March report. In line with these recommendations, the Government is considering how to support better co-ordination between organisations collecting evidence in Bangladesh.

Ukraine: Peacekeeping Operations

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the deployment of a UN peacekeeping mission to eastern Ukraine.

Boris Johnson: The British Government is open to engagement on any proposal which could offer meaningful progress towards peace in eastern Ukraine. Any international mission must aim to achieve full implementation of the Minsk Agreements and full restoration of Ukraine's sovereignty over its territory, and must operate with full consent of Ukraine as host country.

Crimea: Tatars

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of reports of the harassment and intimidation of Tatars in Russian-occupied Crimea in the run-up to the recent presidential election.

Boris Johnson: The UK is deeply concerned about the ongoing human rights abuses taking place in Crimea, particularly against ethnic and religious minorities such as the Crimean Tatars. This has included widespread harassment; arbitrary detentions; threats to rights of worship, expression and assembly, and the banning of the Tatar Mejlis Council. The UK did not recognise the legitimacy of recent elections to the Russian Federation held in Crimea, as part of our broader policy against recognising Russia's illegal annexation of the peninsula; reports of pressure exerted on the Tatars and other groups to vote are very worrying. I recently met members of the Tatar leadership as part of our ongoing engagement with Crimean Tatar groups and human rights organisations reporting on the situation on the peninsula.

Burma: Rohingya

Emma Hardy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the Myanmar military to allow the safe, monitored and dignified return of the Rohingya people.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary met Burmese State Counsellor Aung Sun Suu Kyi on 12 February and made clear that the Burmese authorities, including the military, must allow Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Rakhine voluntarily, in safety and with dignity. The UK Ambassador to Burma met Minister for the Office of State Counsellor U Kyaw Tint Swe on 5 April and called on Burma to agree a Memorandum of Understanding that allows the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to monitor the returns process to ensure it meets international standards. The UK will use the UN Security Council’s visit to Burma and Bangladesh at the end of April to ensure the Burmese military recognises the international demand for safe, monitored and dignified refugee returns.

Andy Hall

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has provided consular assistance to the British human rights campaigner Andy Hall, who has been sentenced for defamation in Thailand.

Mark Field: Mr Hall has not recently requested consular assistance. However, we have been active in supporting him in relation to his work promoting human rights. Embassy staff have attended trial hearings and raised his case with the Thai authorities. We shall continue this work, and stand ready to provide consular assistance should he require it.The British Government supports the right of human rights defenders to carry out their work without fear of harassment or reprisals. We also support full implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

Burma: Human Rights

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he supports the creation of an independent body to (a) investigate, (b) document, (c) collect, and (d) analyse evidence of human rights violations in Burma.

Mark Field: The British Government has consistently made it clear that we seek justice to be done for the Rohingya. In line with the recommendations of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights in Myanmar, the British Government is considering how to support better co-ordination between organisations collecting evidence and testimony in Bangladesh. We are discussing this with international partners.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support the implementation of UN Security Council resolution 2401.

Alistair Burt: We have repeatedly pressed the Syrian regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, to abide by their obligations under Resolution 2401. At the UN Human Rights Council we secured a UK-proposed resolution calling for the Resolution’s full and immediate implementation. The Foreign Secretary and International Development Secretary issued joint statements on 15 March and 22 March, condemning the appalling situation in Eastern Ghouta and calling for the implementation of UNSCR 2401.

Israel: Bedouin

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to Israeli counterparts in advance of the high court hearing on the demolition of school buildings in Khan al-Ahmar which is due to take place on 25 April 2018.

Alistair Burt: The UK remains concerned by proposals to demolish the Bedouin village of Khan al-Ahmar. We have repeatedly called on the Israeli authorities to halt proposals to demolish this community, and we will continue to make representations including in discussions with the Israeli Ambassador this week. An official from our Consulate General in Jerusalem attended an event on 18 April in Khan al-Ahmar to show our support for the community.

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the international community is taking to bring about further pressure on the Assad regime to allow humanitarian aid to reach civilians in areas either under his Government's control or which are theatres of ongoing conflict.

Alistair Burt: ​We are doing our utmost to push for improved humanitarian access in Syria, including through our position in the UN Security Council, and the International Syria Support Group. UN Security Council Resolution 2401, adopted in February 2018, was the latest to underline the obligation on all parties, particularly the Syrian regime, to allow unimpeded humanitarian access. The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the humanitarian response inside Syria since 2011, and we target aid inside Syria on areas where needs are greatest.

Yemen: Bombings

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has made representations to Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Government of Saudi Arabia on the bombing of an Internally Displaced Person Camp in Hodeidah, Yemen, on 3 April 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​We regularly raise the importance of compliance with International Humanitarian Law (IHL) with Saudi Arabia at all levels. Both the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary raised the issue with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia during his visit in March.We take alleged violations of IHL very seriously. When allegations of IHL breaches have been made against Saudi Arabia, it is important that the Saudis, in the first instance, conduct conclusive investigations. The Saudi-led Coalition Joint Incidents Assessment Team has published 55 reports into particular incidents of concern, with the most recent published on 5 March 2018.

Israel: Palestinians

Dan Carden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department has made representations for an independent investigation as called for by the UN Secretary General into the shooting of Palestinian protestors in Gaza by Israeli forces; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: ​The UK is deeply concerned by the high number of deaths and injuries suffered by Palestinians during protests on Gaza’s borders. There is an urgent need to establish the facts of what happened, including why such a volume of live fire was used and what role Hamas played in the events. We are supportive of accountability and transparency, and welcome Israel’s commitment to investigate the conduct of operations. We urge that the findings of this investigation be made public, and that, if wrongdoing is found, those responsible be held to account.

Ghana: Military Alliances

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in (a) Ghana and (b) the US Administration on the Ghana - US Military Cooperation Agreement.

Harriett Baldwin: The Ghana - US Military Cooperation Agreement is a bilateral matter for the US and Ghana. We have not discussed the agreement in detail with the US Administration nor the Government of Ghana.

India: Discrimination

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Indian counterpart on recent protests against the ruling of that country’s Supreme Court on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act of 1989 dated 20 March 2018; and if he will make a statement.

Boris Johnson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

India: Discrimination

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the Indian Supreme Court’s ruling of 20 March 2018 on the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Act of 1989 on (a) levels of caste-based discrimination and violence in India and (b) the ability of any victims of such discriminatory or violent acts to seek legal redress in that country’s courts.

Boris Johnson: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cameroon: British Nationals Abroad

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the relevance and usefulness of the advice provided to UK citizens travelling to Cameroon by his Department.

Harriett Baldwin: Our travel advice for Cameroon is reviewed and updated regularly and covers a range of topics including safety and security, terrorism and local laws and customs.We made changes to the areas where we advise against all, or all but essential, travel as recently as 27 March 2018 and updated our guidance on 6 April 2018 to reflect the risk of kidnapping.More than 5,500 travellers are currently subscribed to our Cameroon travel advice updates. Web traffic shows that readers are most interested in the safety and security information.

Department for International Development

Central African Republic: Overseas Aid

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what proportion of her Department's budget is allocated to tackling chronic poverty and malnutrition in Central African Republic.

Harriett Baldwin: The UK is one of the largest donors to the crisis in the Central African Republic and is contributing £40 million in humanitarian aid from 2016-2019. Our support is helping to tackle poverty and malnutrition by reaching 1.5 million people with life-saving food, shelter and basic healthcare.

Commonwealth: Refugees

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether she plans to discuss the global refugee crisis with her Commonwealth counterparts at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in April 2018.

Alistair Burt: The Prime Minister and UK Ministers including the Foreign Secretary and International Development Secretary will be discussing a range of humanitarian and development issues, including the refugee crisis, with Commonwealth partners at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. Officials will also be attending relevant side events, including the International Rescue Committee’s event on what the Commonwealth has to offer women and girls forced to flee conflict and crisis. These discussions will be particularly important in the context of the ongoing discussions on a UN Global Compact on Refugees due to be adopted later this year.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what representations his Department has made to the Pakistani Government on ensuring that freedom of religion and belief commitments to education for religious minorities are upheld in that country.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief. The UK raises human rights and the rights of minorities in Pakistan on a regular basis at the highest levels and we ensure our development assistance targets the poor, regardless of race, religion, gender, social background or nationality. The UK funded education programmes in Pakistan support the implementation of Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum, which teaches religious tolerance and respect for diversity. Independent evaluations have confirmed this curriculum to be based on the values of democracy, pluralism and peace aimed at educating students to be able to think critically about these issues.

United Nations: Internally Displaced People

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with her counterparts at the United Nations on the inclusion of provisions on protection for internally displaced people in UN compacts on refugees and migration.

Alistair Burt: Given the UN Compacts are focused specifically on refugees and migration, there may be limited scope to ensure the specific needs of internally displaced people are addressed within these particular frameworks. However, there should be common lessons to apply in terms of the importance of a longer term development response to displacement and we are considering other opportunities to raise the profile of the issue and galvanise international efforts in 2018. For example, the UK is supportive of the idea of a UN High Level Panel on internally displaced people to assess the effectiveness of the current response to internal displacement and galvanise further political and operational action. We are discussing this closely with other interested States and UN agencies.

Yemen: International Assistance

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps the Government is taking to strengthen the UN Verification and Inspection Mechanism for Yemen.

Alistair Burt: The UK is providing £1.3 million this financial year to the UN’s Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to facilitate commercial shipping and assure the Coalition that weapons are not coming into Yemen on large commercial ships docking at the large Red Sea ports. We have also deployed UK maritime experts to Djibouti to further boost the inspections process, helping increase the proportion of ships physically inspected almost ten-fold (from 8% to 77%).

Department for Education

School Choice

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to introduce a right for parents to send their children to the same school.

Nick Gibb: It is for admissions authorities in England to decide whether to give priority to siblings in their admissions arrangements, where the school is oversubscribed, and many schools do choose to do this. The Department expects schools to balance prioritising siblings with ensuring places are also available for other local children who do not have a sibling at the school.The Deparment routinely reviews the English school admissions system and seeks regular feedback from stakeholders. Any changes to the School Admissions Code will require a full statutory process, including consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.

Foster Care

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information his Department holds on the number of children who were fostered in 2017.

Nadhim Zahawi: At 31 March 2017, there were 53,420 looked after children in England in foster care.This information is already in the public domain and further information on the number of looked after children by their placement is published in Table A2 of the statistical release ‘Children looked after in England including adoption: 2016 to 2017’ at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2016-to-2017.

GCE A-level

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many students from each socio-economic group achieved three or more A* or A grades at A level in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: Information about the number of students from each socio-economic group who achieved three or more A* to A grades is not held centrally. The closest information the Department publishes are figures organised by disadvantage and the provision of Free School Meals, which can be used as a proxy. Figures for 2016/17 are published as part of the “A level and other 16 to 18 results: 2016 to 2017 (revised) statistical release[1] and in the underlying data of the ‘A level attainment by pupil characteristics’ transparency data[2] for earlier years.  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results-2016-to-2017-revised(see ‘SFR03_2018_Performance_Measures_by_Charateristics’ CSV file in the zip folder entitled: ‘A level exam results and A level and vocational participation csv: SFR03/2018’, containing CSV files)[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-level-attainment-by-pupil-characteristicsThen open (A level attainment characteristics: underlying data)

Further Education: Standards

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government is taking to improve the quality of further education.

Nadhim Zahawi: Improving the quality of Further Education (FE) provision is a key government priority. There remains too much poor quality FE provision. The introduction of T levels will establish a world class technical education system that develops young people’s talent and ensures that they have access to the training they need.To deliver world class technical education we need outstanding FE Colleges. We have now approved the first fourteen grants from the Strategic College Improvement Fund, worth £15 million, enabling some of the best FE colleges to partner with those needing to improve. We have appointed seven National Leaders in FE, enabling the best college principals to actively support their peers. The FE Commissioner’s role has been extended to support improvement at a wider group of colleges, helping them to address any areas of weakness at an early stage. The role of governors within the FE sector has been strengthened. We are also continuing to help colleges restructure to create efficiency which can be reinvested in teaching and learning, including through access to funding from a restructuring facility. To create excellent institutions, we need talented teachers and leaders. We continue to fund the Education Training Foundation to help raise standards of teaching, leadership, and governance across the sector. We have announced up to £20 million to help teachers prepare for the implementation of T levels. Bursaries of up to £25,000 continue to be offered, up to at least 2019, to attract new graduates with relevant degrees to teach maths and English within the FE sector. We have also committed to invest £40 million to establish a FE centres for excellence in basic maths programme. This programme will build teaching capacity and spread high quality, new and evidenced methods for teaching of basic skills in the post-16 sector.

Apprentices

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the current level of employer demand for apprenticeships at (a) higher and (ii) degree level; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: Apprenticeship starts at higher levels (including degree-level apprenticeships) are growing and have increased by a quarter in the first two quarters of the 2017/18 academic year in comparison to this time in 2016/17. Degree level apprenticeships, specifically, have seen as many starts in the current academic year as the previous three years combined. Over 90% of employer PAYE schemes with larger levy declarations (over £150,000) have registered an account on the apprenticeship service. This illustrates a high level of engagement amongst levy payers and we are working with employers to help them plan their future apprenticeship programmes. This includes account managing over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers to help them shape their own programmes. Account managers have a caseload of approximately 50 to 60 employers, who they meet with face-to-face on a regular basis.

Apprentices: Degrees

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Institute for Apprenticeship's policy document of February 2018, Faster and better: Transforming the development of quality apprenticeship standards, what steps he plans to take to help prospective applicants to degree apprenticeships and their advisers understand which programmes offer a degree qualification.

Anne Milton: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships. I have asked its Chief Exectuive, Sir Gerry Berragan, to write to my right hon. Friend, the Member for Harlow and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Pupil Premium: Mathematics

Nic Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the advanced maths premium to cover all pupils studying level 3 maths.

Nick Gibb: The Advanced Maths Premium provides schools and colleges with £600 per year for every additional pupil studying advanced mathematics post-16. It is a short term measure to support schools and colleges to tackle the barriers to increasing participation particularly in areas where take-up is currently low. This approach aims to support and encourage schools and colleges to continue to expand their mathematics curriculum above current levels.

Agriculture: Education

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to (a) provide for and (b) promote the study of (i) agriculture and (ii) related land-based subjects as academic subjects in non-rural areas.

Nick Gibb: Subject to meeting legal requirements, it is for individual schools and colleges to decide which subjects to include in their curriculum. A number of GCSEs contain content relevant to agriculture. In GCSE geography, pupils are taught about resources and resource management, including the modification and change of ecosystems in order to obtain food, energy and water. In the food preparation and nutrition GCSE, the economic, environmental, and ethical influences on food availability and production processes are covered. There are a number of vocational qualifications that count in 16-18 performance tables, covering agriculture and other land-based subjects. Apprenticeship standards already exist in land-based service engineering, and there are a number of further standards in development, including crop technician, farrier, poultry technician and stockperson. The Department is also reforming technical education. This includes the introduction of T levels in an agriculture, environment and animal care route.

Citizenship: GCSE

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many entries for GCSE Citizenship Studies there have been in (a) England and (b) York in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: There have been no entries into Citizenship studies at GCSE level[1] in York[2] by pupils at the end of key stage 4[3] in the last five years[4]. Information on the number of entries in Citizenship Studies subjects at GCSE level in England in each of the last five years is provided in the table attached. [1] Includes GCSEs and equivalents.[2] Local authority figures cover achievements in state-funded schools only. They do not include pupils recently arrived from overseas.[3] Pupils are identified as being at the end of key stage 4 if they were on roll at the school and in year 11 at the time of the spring school census. Age is calculated as at 31 August for that year, and the majority of pupils at the end of key stage 4 are age 15 at the start of the academic year. Some pupils may complete this key stage in an earlier or later year group.[4] Includes entries and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years.



Number of entries in Citizenship Studies
(PDF Document, 247.77 KB)

Department for Education: Yorkshire and the Humber

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times he has visited (a) Barnsley, (b) South Yorkshire, and (c) Yorkshire and Humber since his appointment; and if he will set out the details of any such visits.

Anne Milton: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State has visited Yorkshire and the Humber once since his appointment. This included a visit to Incy Wincy’s Day Nursery in Bedale and to North East Lincolnshire Council.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to increase take-up of disabled student allowances from eligible higher education students.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) provide valuable support to eligible disabled students, enabling them to participate in higher education alongside non-disabled students. In 2015/16, the last full year for which data are available, almost 59,000 full-time undergraduate students domiciled in England received DSAs support, with a total expenditure of over £115 million. Information on how to apply for DSAs and what support they offer is freely available on GOV.UK.

Design and Technology: GCSE

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will bring forward proposals to require all new free schools to offer a design and technology GCSE; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Free schools, as academies, have the freedom to choose their own curriculum, provided that it meets the requirements of its funding agreement – for example that the curriculum is broad and balanced and includes English, mathematics, science and religious education. It is ultimately for schools to decide whether to offer a particular qualification, such as the recently reformed design and technology GCSE.

Students: Fees and Charges

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of the proposal for differential fees for different university courses.

Mr Sam Gyimah: I refer the hon. Member for Leeds North West to the answer I gave on 26 February 2018 to Question 129545.

Paramedical Staff: Training

Michelle Donelan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will classify paramedic science as an exception course to allow those who study it as a second degree to obtain a student loan.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department of Health and Social Care decided, as part of the reforms to healthcare education funding, to provide an exemption from equivalent or lower qualification (ELQ) rules for new students starting undergraduate pre-registration nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses from 2017/18 to allow students to receive support for these courses as a second course. This exemption has now been extended to new students starting pre-registration courses in dental profession subjects and pre-registration postgraduate courses in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions from 1 August 2018. As students on paramedic science courses could already access the standard student loan system, these courses were not included in the reforms noted above, and therefore they do not attract this exemption from the ELQ rules. It is the responsibility of the Department of Health and Social Care to decide which healthcare courses should be in scope of receiving an ELQ exemption.

Social Mobility Commission: Public Appointments

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many commissioners he plans to appoint to the board of the Social Mobility Commission.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are committed to appointing a sufficient number of high quality Commissioners to enable the Social Mobility Commission to carry out its functions effectively and will decide the final number once the new Chair is appointed.

Universities: Strikes

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of students whose classes have been cancelled as a result of the recent strikes by university staff.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Universities are autonomous institutions and it is for them to consider the number of their students whose classes have been affected by strike action. No assessment has been made by the Department for Education, but we remain concerned about any impact of the strikes on students and are pleased that the action has been suspended. We note that the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, which represents UK higher education organisations as employers, polled the 56 universities that were the focus of strikes on 22 and 23 February 2018. Results of this polling indicated that the overall impact in four out of five institutions was between ‘none’ and ‘low-medium’. The new regulator for higher education in England, the Office for Students (OfS), has recently issued guidance to students stating that it expects universities to take all reasonable steps to reduce the impact of any future strike action on teaching, learning and assessment, and to communicate clearly to students the impact of any industrial action. Universities should make clear to students how they intend to avoid or mitigate the impact of the disruption caused by strike action.The OfS will also have the power to request information from registered higher education providers.

Nurses: Training

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that student nurses do not experience hardship as a consequence of administrative errors in the provision of maintenance loans.

Mr Sam Gyimah: On 18 April, the government announced that the Student Loans Company (SLC) will provide support to ensure that none of the students affected by the error suffer hardship. Students who believe that they may face hardship as a result of the error will be eligible to apply for additional, non-repayable, support of up to £1,000 for the remainder of this academic year, and should contact SLC. In addition, repayment of overpaid maintenance support will be deferred for all students affected until they have finished their courses and can afford to repay.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 17 November 2017 to Question 111966, on Wakefield City Academies Trust, how many of the schools formerly within the Wakefield City Academies Trust have been placed with new trusts.

Nadhim Zahawi: Our priority continues to be to transfer the schools to strong trusts that will be able to drive rapid and sustainable school improvement, to give these pupils the best possible education. We have confirmed new trusts for 20 of the 21, Wakefield City Academy Trust (WCAT) schools. On 1 April 2018, 11 of the schools formally transferred from WCAT to their new Trusts. The department is working with all involved to transfer the remaining academies as smoothly as possible and in a way that secures the financial future for each school as well as the education of their pupils. We have worked with all the schools and the new trusts to provide appropriate support and resources, including funding, so that each of the schools has what is required to improve pupil outcomes. Schools, which are yet to be transferred, are being closely monitored by the Regional School Commissioners. Many of the new trusts have an agreement with WCAT to provide school improvement support, enabling pupils to benefit from an outstanding trust immediately.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many of the schools formerly within the Academies Enterprise Trust and awaiting re-brokering have been placed with new trusts.

Nadhim Zahawi: As at 17 April 2018, 11 schools that were previously part of Academy Enterprise Trust (AET) have been re-brokered to new trusts. These re-brokerages took place between 2014 and 2018. We continue to work with AET to facilitate improvement within the trust, including ensuring appropriate support is provided for underperforming schools.

Breakfast Clubs: Finance

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 135187, how much of the £26 million funding for school breakfast clubs will be allocated in the 2019-20 financial year.

Nadhim Zahawi: We are investing up to £26 million in a breakfast club programme, using funds from Soft Drinks Industry Levy revenues. We anticipate allocating around £14 million during the 2019-20 financial year.

Social Mobility Commission: Public Appointments

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2017 to Question 135188, on Social Mobility Commission: Public Appointments, which Minister is responsible for the process of appointing the Chair of the Social Mobility Commission.

Nadhim Zahawi: The Secretary of State for Education is responsible for appointing the Chair of the Social Mobility Commission. This is a public appointment, and the process will be completed following the procedures set out in the Governance Code for Public Appointments

Water: Safety

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of incorporating water safety and drowning prevention into the national curriculum.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government fully supports the National Water Safety Forum’s National Drowning Prevention Strategy. We have made sure that swimming and water safety is compulsory in the national curriculum for PE at primary levels (key stages 1 and 2). This guidance is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study#swimming-and-water-safety. The curriculum sets out the expectation that all pupils should be taught to:- swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres:- use a range of strokes effectively;- perform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. The government tasked an independent group of experts from across the swimming sector to submit a report setting out recommendations for improving curriculum swimming as part of the 'Sporting Future' strategy. We have established an implementation group and are currently reviewing the recommendations in the report.

Teachers: Standards

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to appoint the independent chair of the review into the Teaching Excellence Framework.

Mr Sam Gyimah: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State is planning to appoint a suitable independent person to report on the operation of the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework by autumn 2018. The department is currently engaged in a process for identifying people who have both the required experience and can command the confidence of the sector.

Institute for Apprenticeships

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills has held meetings with the panel of apprentices that reports to the Board of the Institute for Apprenticeships.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Institute for Apprenticeships: Public Appointments

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many applications his Department received for the Panel of Apprentices in 2017-18.

Mr Sam Gyimah: This is a matter for the Institute for Apprenticeships. I have asked its Chief Executive, Sir Gerry Berragan, to write to the hon. Member and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Apprentices: EU Action

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to allocated funding for the UK's participation in the European Apprentice Network after the UK leaves the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: There have been no decisions taken on the UK’s participation in the European Apprenticeship Network because the future scope of the programme has yet to be agreed. Our participation will be a matter for negotiations about our future relationship with the EU.We will seek to continue to take part in specific policies and programmes which are in the UK and the EU’s joint interest, such as those that promote science, education and culture.

Wakefield City Academies Trust

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what additional funding his Department has provided to trusts that are taking over schools from the Wakefield City Academy Trust.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department has worked with all the schools and the new trusts to provide appropriate support and resources, including funding, so that each of the schools has what they require to improve pupil outcomes and secure the financial future for those schools.

Schools: Vacancies

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps the Government plans to take to reduce the need for schools to pay for the advertising of school staff vacancies; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department is developing a free national digital service for schools to publish teacher vacancies and for teachers to search for them. This new service aims to reduce the cost to schools of teacher recruitment, and make it easier for teachers to find new posts. PriceWaterhouseCoopers has estimated that school spend between £65-75 million per year on teacher recruitment advertisements. This is set out on page 12 of this report: https://www.pwc.co.uk/assets/pdf/teacher-recruitment-pwc-education-insight-23may2016.pdf. Testing will start with a sample of schools in May and the evidence from this user testing will inform the next stage of roll out.

Leader of the House

Legislation

Sir Christopher Chope: To ask the Leader of the House, what the policy of the Government is on the use of secondary legislation to amend primary legislation with retrospective effect; and if she will make a statement.

Andrea Leadsom: The Government's policy is to use legislation with retrospective effect only in exceptional circumstances. In relation to secondary legislation, even where an Act includes powers to make retrospective provision, the Government's policy is to avoid doing so as far as possible. Where retrospective provision is made, the practice is that the power under which it is made ought to be cited and the retrospective effect ought to be highlighted in the explanatory material.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will require operators of waste incineration sites to monitor emissions of particulate matters of less than 2.5.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Waste incineration sites are required to continuously monitor emissions of total particulate matter (TPM) in line with the requirements of the European Industrial Emissions Directive. TPM includes PMs of less than 2.5 (PM2.5) as well as other sizes. Therefore there is no need to monitor specifically for PM2.5. Furthermore there is no commercially available equipment for the continuous monitoring of PM2.5. This approach is further supported by the fact that applicants for new incinerators are required to model PM2.5 emissions to air by assuming a worst-case scenario that all of the TPM emitted is PM2.5. This is a very precautionary approach as in practice TPM will be a mixture of sizes, and so the true impact will be less. The Environment Agency will only issue a permit for an incinerator if it is satisfied that emissions of particulate matter will not have a significant impact on the environment under the worst-case scenario.

Incinerators

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will require the operators of waste incineration sites to (a) monitor the emissions of PM 10 and PM 2.5 particles at their sites and (b) publish the results of such monitoring.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Waste incineration sites are required to continuously monitor emissions of total particulate matter (TPM) in line with the requirements of the European Industrial Emissions Directive. TPM includes PM 10 and PM 2.5 as well as other sizes. There is no commercially available equipment for the continuous monitoring of PM 10 and PM 2.5. There is no requirement for waste incinerator operators to specifically monitor for PM 10 and PM 2.5 on a regular basis, and there are no plans to require such monitoring in the future. However, all new waste incinerators must carry out a one-off monitoring exercise after the plant is commissioned to determine the relative amount of PM 10 and PM 2.5 in the exhaust gases, and the results of this monitoring are published on the public register.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of extending badger culling on the effectiveness of vaccination schemes operating in those same areas.

George Eustice: Guidance to Natural England on issuing licences to cull badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB advises that where culling and vaccination are taking place on adjacent land, applicants should take reasonable steps to negotiate an agreed approach to badger control operations along the relevant boundary with that landowner/occupier. Modelling suggests that over time culling will outperform vaccination alone, and for most farmers, badger culling is likely to be the preferred option. Some farmers and landowners may prefer to use vaccination to reduce the prevalence of TB infection in badgers. Licences to vaccinate badgers will therefore continue to be available. Defra provides grant support for badger vaccination projects in the Edge Area but this does not preclude farmers and landowners choosing to cull in those areas provided the robust criteria for a culling licence are met. We see a role for both badger culling and badger vaccination as part of a comprehensive and balanced package of measures to tackle TB in cattle.

Fisheries Convention

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date the 1964 London Fisheries convention will cease to apply to the UK; and from that date all EU fishing vessels will be excluded from the UK's 6 to 12 nautical miles zone.

George Eustice: The 1964 London Fisheries Convention will cease to apply to the UK on 2 July 2019. During the implementation period, current access arrangements will continue, including access to the 6 to 12 nautical miles zone where permitted under current EU rules. After 2020, we will decide who can access our waters and on what terms. Any decisions about giving access to vessels from the EU, and other coastal states, to our waters will then be a matter for negotiation.

Horses: Databases

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the effective operation of the Central Equine Database.

George Eustice: The Central Equine Database (CED) has been set up to record the information on equine identification required by EU legislation. Defra’s supplier conducted extensive user testing during development of the CED to ensure that historical information held by equine Passport Issuing Organisations was checked for accuracy and cleansed before it was imported into the CED. The Central Equine Database is now operational and accessible to regulatory bodies including Defra, the Food Standards Agency and Local Authority Trading Standards.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.

George Eustice: In April 2016 the Government introduced a higher minimum wage rate, called the National Living Wage, which all employers in the UK are required to pay to those aged 25 and over. Defra is compliant with the National Living Wage, and pays this regardless of age. The National Living Wage is currently set at £7.83 and is different to the Living Wage (LW) or London Living Wage (LLW). These are an alternative hourly rate advocated by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF), which they believe represents a minimum income standard, reflecting the basic cost of living in the UK. The current Living Wage, as defined by the LWF, is £10.20 p/h for London (referred to as the London Living Wage or LLW) and £8.75 p/h for the rest of the UK. The rates are revaluated each November. There are no direct employees paid less than the Living Wage, as defined by the LWF, in core Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD). There are 17 direct employees paid less than the Living Wage, as defined by the LWF, in the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). 13 of these are apprentices (Living Wage accreditation does not require employers to pay the Living Wage to apprentices, in recognition of the costs of training); of the other four staff who are paid below the Living Wage, CEFAS has confirmed that these staff are paid in accordance with the National Living Wage. Data for agency and outsourced staff working in Defra and its agencies is only available at disproportionate cost.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Travellers

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, what progress his Department has made in using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Paymaster General of 2 November 2016, Official Report, column 879, and pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134113, on Travellers: Equality, what meetings (a) he and (b) his predecessor have had since 2016 with the Minister for the Cabinet Office on using the 2011 census classifications that differentiate Gypsies and Travellers.

George Eustice: The Race Disparity Audit website displays data where possible using the Census 2011 ethnic categories, which includes Gypsy or Irish Traveller. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Race Disparity Unit work closely together to further progress the harmonisation of ethnicity data across the Government Statistical Service (GSS) and to improve the coverage of ethnic groups including Gypsy, Roma and Travellers. The Race Disparity Audit Inter Ministerial Group chaired by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster discusses matters pertaining to the progress of the Race Disparity Audit, including on the collection of ethnicity data.

Water Supply

Dr Rosena Allin-Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support was given to families who infant feed with formula milk during the Thames Water water supply disruption in March; and what steps he is taking to improve the response to future water shortages.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: During the recent water supply disruption in March, Thames Water set up local bottled water stations in affected areas, including at Balham High Road Sainsbury’s, and Tooting Bec Lido. The bottled water provided has passed Thames Water’s quality tests, and is safe to give to young babies. Section 208, Water Industry Act 1991, makes provision for directions to be given to water companies which require them to take specific action in the interests of national security, or to mitigate the effects of a civil emergency. The Security and Emergency Measures (Water and Sewerage Undertakers) Direction 1998, directs them to maintain plans to provide a supply of water at all times, even in an emergency. Following the events in March, I wrote to water companies on increasing resilience to extreme weather. I also commissioned a review by Ofwat which will look at the causes of the problems, and the response of water companies. Their conclusions will be published by June.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Risk Management

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, whether a formal risk register has been completed for the UK leaving the EU.

Mr Steve Baker: Each department is responsible for assessing and managing risk to their specific policy areas and delivery; a risk register one of the tools available in the wider risk management process. This Department has taken a number of steps to ensure it has strong risk and programme management foundations in place and will continue to assess and manage these as appropriate. As such, risk registers are part of the management process used in order to take opportunities and ensure we can achieve our operational and policy objectives. More information about our risk management approach can be found at page 21 of the Department Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17, which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/655232/DExEU_ARA_v5.0_amended_version_14.08.17__1_.pdf. 



DExEU Annual Report and Accounts 2016-17
(PDF Document, 1.47 MB)

Wales Office

Ports: Wales

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2018 to Question 135100 on Ports: Wales, whether the (a) Government (b) Welsh Government and (c) Port Authorities will provide funding for the additional infrastructure required at Welsh ports as a result of the UK leaving the EU.

Alun Cairns: The Wales Office, along with other Government departments, continues to work with port operators, key stakeholders, and the Welsh Government, to ensure that traffic continues to flow freely at ports and airports in Wales once the UK has left the EU.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Video Conferencing

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect of virtual court processes on the court experience of defendants.

Lucy Frazer: Technology is used in a variety of ways in courts to increase the efficiency of the court process. The various ways in which video links are used in proceedings are kept under regular internal review by HMCTS. The judge will always have the final say on mode of hearing and will need to be satisfied that it is in the interests of justice and compatible with the defendant’s right to a fair trial, having considered any representations from the parties.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many employment support allowance appeal hearings have been adjourned in each of the last three years.

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the criteria are for adjourning employment support allowance hearings.

Lucy Frazer: (i) The table below contains the information requested up to December 2017, the latest period for which figures are available.Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Number of ESA Adjourned 1Adjournments as a proportion of disposals21 April 2015 – 31 March 20169,55317%1 April 2016 – 31 March 201711,59116%1 April 2017 – 31 December 2017 P10,00116% 1 The number of ESA appeals adjourned at a hearing.2 Total number of hearing clearances. Cases cleared at tribunal hearing both oral and paperP Provisional data, as they will be reconciled when the annual statistics are published and therefore subject to change. Latest data available in line with published data. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data available. (ii) The decision to adjourn a hearing is a judicial function. There is no prescribed set of criteria in determining whether to adjourn hearings for ESA (or other types of) appeals. Hearings can be adjourned for a variety of reasons including to obtain further medical evidence.

Social Security Benefits: Appeals

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average waiting time is between an appeal being accepted by Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and an appeal hearing being held in Caernarfon.

Lucy Frazer: The average waiting time1 for Social Security and Child Support (SSCS) appeals in the Caernarfon2 venue between April 2017 and December 2017 (the latest period for which figures are available) is 35p weeks. In order to respond to increased appeal receipts, HM Courts & Tribunals Service has been working with the Tribunal’s judiciary to both appoint additional judges and panel members and take forward initiatives with potential to increase the capacity and performance of the Tribunal, including reviewing current listing practices to increase the number of cases being listed on a Tribunal session, and introducing case management “triage” sessions, with the aim of reducing the time taken for appeals to reach final determination. Waiting time is interpreted as average Clearance Time – time taken for appeal receipt to outcome. Includes both appeals cleared at Tribunal hearing and those cleared without the need of a Tribunal hearing.SSCS data are recorded by the office that dealt with the case, and if the case went to oral hearing, the location of the Tribunal hearing, normally the hearing venue nearest to the appellants home address. These data include all cases attributed to the Caernarfon venueProvisional data, which will be reconciled when the annual statistics are published and are therefore subject to change Although care is taken when processing and analysing the data, the details are subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale case management system and are the best data that are available.

Legal Aid Scheme: Asylum

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he has taken to ensure that in areas where there are no immigration and asylum provider bids, unaccompanied children seeking asylum can get appropriate legal assistance.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that all procurement areas have at least two legal aid providers of discrimination law by September 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that all procurement areas have at least two legal aid providers of community care law by September 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that all procurement areas have at least two legal aid providers of welfare and benefits law by September 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that all procurement areas have at least two legal aid providers of immigration law by September 2018.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps he is taking to ensure that all procurement areas have at least two legal aid providers of debt law advice by September 2018.

Lucy Frazer: In most categories of law where advice is delivered face to face to clients, the LAA seeks to maintain a minimum of one provider in each procurement area (or in the case of immigration and asylum where procurement areas are further broken down into access points, a minimum of one provider per access point).Where one or fewer compliant tenders were received in response to its recent tender process, the LAA will be undertaking additional tender activity in those areas to achieve better access to services for the public where possible.In the categories of community care and welfare benefits, the LAA received more than two compliant tenders in each procurement area and, subject to successfully verifying tenders the LAA anticipates all procurement areas will have at least two legal aid providers from 1 September 2018 when new contracts begin.Debt advice is also delivered through the Civil Legal Advice (CLA) telephone helpline contracts, as is discrimination advice which is only delivered via CLA. The LAA does not procure CLA contracts on a procurement area basis.In the two areas throughout England and Wales where no compliant immigration and asylum tenders were received, the LAA will be seeking to place services in these areas through the tender process it has recently announced to secure additional services.

Legal Ombudsman

Ruth George: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Legal Ombudsmen's review process.

Lucy Frazer: The Legal Ombudsman - an arm’s length body overseen by the Ministry of Justice - is independent in making decisions on individual cases. The Secretary of State for Justice is confident that the Legal Ombudsman operates an effective review process.

Prisons: Drugs

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of trends in drug-related deaths of prisoners in each year since 2010; and if he will make a statement.

Rory Stewart: Every death in custody is a tragedy and we work hard to learn any lessons from each one. The Government publishes statistics on deaths in custody quarterly, and updated detailed tables annually. They can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2017.The ‘Guide to Safety in Custody Statistics’, published alongside the data, explains that although we monitor drug-related deaths, we do not use this category in published statistics because they are difficult to measure accurately. Deaths known to be drug-related but not believed to be self-inflicted overdoses are included within the “other / non-natural” category. However, this category also includes accidental deaths and the small proportion of deaths in which, even after all investigations have been concluded, the cause remains unknown.Data about methods used in self-inflicted deaths in prisons is collected, and the number of self-inflicted deaths from overdoses remains low. The number of deaths in the “other / non-natural” category is also low, but we continue to monitor closely the increasing number of deaths in the “awaiting further information” category, because there is at least a suggestion that drugs may have been involved in the vast majority of these cases.We know that the availability of psychoactive substances is a driver of instability in prisons, so we have implemented a number of measures to address it. They include a new drug testing programme, detection technology and sniffer dogs; and a drugs task force focused on the prisons with the worst drug problems, to tackle demand and supply.

Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2018 to Question 128419, on the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, on what date the post-implementation review is planned to be completed; and what the reasons are for the review not meeting its original timetable.

Lucy Frazer: The Government is currently undertaking a post-implementation review of the impact of the legal aid changes made under LASPO and is committed to publishing the findings by the end of this year. On 7 March the Lord Chancellor announced the beginning of the engagement phase of the review. The first meetings of consultative groups are convening this week in order to provide evidence which will inform the review process. It is important we take the time to deliver the review with the necessary analytical rigour that such an important piece of legislation deserves.

Administration of Justice: Mental Illness

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health, published in February 2016, what progress his Department has made in implementing recommendation 24.

Dr Phillip Lee: MoJ remains committed to ensuring offenders are able to access appropriate support and treatment throughout the criminal justice pathway, and we are responding to this recommendation in a number of ways. We continue to support NHS England’s roll out of Liaison and Diversion services, which were operating across 82% of the country at the end of March 2018, with full rollout expected by 2020/21. We are working with Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), NHS England and Public Health England to develop a protocol for community sentence treatment requirements (CSTRs). This will ensure pathways into appropriate treatment are in place, and that greater use is made of CSTRs, including Mental Health Treatment Requirements. Health is a devolved matter in Wales, where the goal to improve the use of MHTRs is captured in the Welsh Government’s “Together for Mental Health” delivery plan. The National Partnership Agreement for Prison Healthcare in England (2018-2021) was published on the 10th April 2018. This agreement between MoJ, HMPPS, Public Health England, DHSC, and NHS England, confirms our commitment to delivering a high-quality health service in prisons, marked by a deeper level of cooperation and cohesiveness. We are also working with the DHSC, and NHS England, to identify improvements that can be made to the process by which prisoners are transferred to hospital for treatment under the Mental Health Act 1983 to ensure that people with severe mental health problems are moving through the secure health care system to the most appropriate place for their needs.

Cabinet Office

Family Law

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will publish his Department's report entitled Public Family Law Pressures - what do we know and what can be done.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Honourable Member to the reply given to PQ125880 on 5 February 2018.

Immigrants: Commonwealth

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in the UK were born in Commonwealth countries and arrived in the UK before 1971.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Response 
(PDF Document, 67.1 KB)

Water: Death

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many water related fatalities there were in (a) the North East and (b) England in each year since 2010.

Chloe Smith: The Cabinet Office has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.